At last week's DFN Project SEARCH annual conference and awards in Birmingham, our very own Patient Experience and Inclusion Worker, Toseef Ahmed, won the Jurgen Donaldson Award for Outstanding DFN Project SEARCH graduate.

This Award honours a graduate who has not only achieved success, but also given back to the work place and community in meaningful ways and who helps to raise awareness of DFN Project SEARCH lighting the way for their peers.

Job Coach, Tracey Thompson, said: "Toseef has come a long way since joining DFN Project SEARCH at CHFT back in 2019. He has since gained employment in the Trust and is now probably one of the most well known people in the Trust! Toseef always puts other people first and shows such caring and compassion toward others.

"He fully deserves this award and although he couldn't make the celebration himself, his thank you video was shown on the big screen in front of around 400 people, where he ended with these amazing words: “My success hasn’t come from one place, it has come from working with different teams and my journey doesn’t end here. I’m excited to start my next adventure in the Acute Liaison Team working with Nurse Consultant for Learning Disabilities, Amanda McKie, supporting people with learning disabilities.”

Amanda added: "I am super proud of Toseef and his achievements at CHFT. He is a huge asset to both the Enhanced Care Team and myself. He's also the best fundraiser! And a true advocate for people with learning disabilities. Well done!"

Toseef is pictured below with some of the team who surprised him last week at Acre Mills with a presentation.