THREE Oxfordshire winners scooped prizes at a national award ceremony for psychiatrists.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists' annual RCPsych Awards, held on Monday night, mark the highest level of achievement within the field of psychiatry.

Two teams and one individual were victorious.

A team of mental health professionals at the Older Adult Community Mental Health Team in South Oxfordshire took home the Psychiatric Team of the Year award.

Their inspiring work in turning around a struggling unit impressed the judges.

The staff, who treat elderly patients with complex mental health problems such as dementia, were singled out for praise by judges for producing huge improvements in the quality of their service in challenging circumstances.

The judges said: “There was stiff opposition for this award and the Ayrshire and Arran service deserves special commendation, but the South Oxfordshire team were particularly inspiring.

“They have shown us all how training, teamwork and a supportive environment can empower staff to turn around a struggling unit to produce huge improvements in quality, winning accolades from management, patients, and carers alike.”

Oxford University student, Maxime Taquet, took home the Medical Student of the Year award.

He said: "“I am delighted to have received this award.

"From my perspective, it seems psychiatry is taking an interesting turn by taking up advances in genetics, neurosciences and digital technologies.

"Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust plays a key role in this and it will ultimately improve the prognosis for patients.

"Psychiatry is one of the most exciting fields of medicine to enter and it is thrilling to be part of this movement as a budding psychiatrist.”

He was recognised for his smart phone app, which aims to monitor neuropsychiatric symptoms including mood attention and sleep.

It is used by more than 60,000 people several times a day.

Judges felt this was the best example of innovation in clinical practice.

They said: "Maxime has enormous potential as a future leader in mental health research and teaching."

The first findings from Mr Taquet's data initiative were recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The emergency department psychiatry service in Oxfordshire took home the Outstanding Commitment to Sustainable Service Development Award for its Technology Assisted Psychiatry (TAP) project.

Chief executive of Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Stuart Bell, said: "Congratulations to all the winners – we’re all incredibly proud of their achievement.

"To receive three awards from the Royal College of Psychiatry is outstanding.

"These awards recognise that these are people working at the forefront of their profession, tailoring services to the changing needs of our communities and nurturing the next generation of psychiatrists to provide care for local people."

The awards were presented at the college's head office in East London.

For the full list of winners visit rcpsych.ac.uk