Previous award recipients

The 2026 recipient of the Bill Davidson Award is Shaesta Saleem.

Shaesta, along with colleague Hina Ayub in NHS Talking Therapies services in East Lancashire, initiated an inquiry into the factors underlying low referral rates from Ethnically and Culturally Diverse Communities (ECDC) to NHS Talking Therapies across East Lancashire, specifically in Pendle and Burnley. 

Shaesta’s vision sparked a commitment to improving access to mental health for marginalised groups. With support from the clinical leadership, they transitioned to a community-integrated strategy. Utilising the IAPT BAME Positive Practice Guide, they began community outreach delivering interactive psychoeducational workshops in various languages on depression and anxiety.  

Over 18 months, the trailblazing model reached 800+ people via 24 workshops across mosques, nurseries, schools, jobcentres and community centres, with 22 in Pendle and Burnley. Supported by Trust-wide teams, the project scaled impact significantly. A landmark Pendle Mosque event saw 90 women (ages 15–80) engage in Urdu, English, and Punjabi. Workshops were mainly co-produced and the strengths-based approach validated cultural and spiritual wisdom, empowering the community to claim mental wellbeing as a fundamental right rather than a distant clinical service. 

Shaesta and Hina identified critical barriers: systemic mistrust, language gaps, and a profound lack of service awareness. Many were unaware NHS Talking Therapies treats mild-to-moderate illness. By facilitating “courageous conversations” the team dispelled myths and provided transparent guidance on the referral process. This proactive approach gently challenged misconceptions, managed expectations regarding wait times, successfully bridging the gap between the community and clinical care, with community feedback being overwhelmingly positive.

Community-led efforts secured sustainable change by establishing a permanent NHS Talking Therapies clinic at Burnley’s Chai Centre, located in the heart of the South Asian community. 

The project has been widely celebrated, winning the LSCFT Shine Awards and Shaesta featuring in a podcast with CEO Chris Oliver.

Shaesta and Hina presented their findings at the 2024 Annual Psychological Professions Conference at Lancaster University. Under Dr Katri Kuusniemi, this evolved into the Quality Improvement (Empower) project. By convening 43 stakeholders, including Age UK, Lancashire Mind, and University of Central Lancashire, the team solidified a holistic, multi-agency approach to equity and access. 

The Empower & Outreach project was showcased at the annual Lancashire & South Cumbria Foundation Trust Improvement Conference in 2025 to the board of directors as a gold standard for service evolution. This strategy drove a 12% increase in ECDC referrals in 2025. Impact has scaled across the Trust, with CMHT and Forensic Brain Injury services liaising with Shaesta to enhance their outreach work. To ensure longevity, Shaesta and Hina are considering a formal research proposal to the NIHR, cementing this trailblazing outreach work as a cornerstone of inclusive clinical practice.

Two Highly Commended awards have also been presented this year.

Tafadzwa (Taffy) Tapfuma has been recognised for his work at Milton Keynes Talking Therapies for his public engagement work with Black and minoritised communities.

Taffy’s work focuses on improving access, engagement and outcomes for Black communities, particularly Black men. A key example is the Black Men’s Wellbeing Festival, a community-led initiative developed in partnership with local organisations. This hands-on programme brings together professionals, community leaders, and individuals with lived experience through workshops, discussions, and personal storytelling. It creates a space that is both psychologically safe and open to honest dialogue, while amplifying voices that are not always heard. Attendance has been consistently strong, with some sessions attracting over 60 participants (to a wide range of individuals from across the country). The work has also received external recognition for creating safe, connected and empowering spaces.

His work involves extensive outreach, partnership-building, and collaboration with community organisations, including the African Diaspora Foundation and local places of worship. 

His Black History Month event in 2025 laid the groundwork for this approach, which has since developed into an ongoing programme, with next steps including a 2026 focus on Black women’s wellbeing.

Anisa To founded community interest company Psychological Alliance London HK (PALHK) C.I.C. to improve access to mental health services amongst Hong Kong immigrants, and empower psychology students from the British-Cantonese diaspora to pursue psychological careers in the UK. 

Anisa led their team to design and deliver a community stress management workshop using translated psycho-educational materials adapted from low-intensity CBT framework, and reached out to Barnet Talking Therapies to organise a stress management workshop. Their latest co-production project is a forthcoming expressive art therapy workshop, led by a Clinical Psychologist of Hong Kong background, developed in direct response to community members expressing the importance of cultural identity in their psychological wellbeing.

PALHK co-facilitated six workshops with clinicians of British-Hong Kong backgrounds, with topics including routes into Clinical Psychology, Allied Mental Health Professions, Educational Psychology, CBT, Counselling etc. Their recent pilot mentorship programme brought together 15 mentor-mentee matches to help aspiring psychologists gain guidance from more experienced peers.