Celebrating CSP student, recognition and professional awards

Winners of the network, volunteer and influencer of the year awards

Congratulations to the winners of our 2024 recognition awards, which were presented at the CSP annual conference in Manchester.

To help celebrate the work of some of our most active influencers, volunteers and community builders, we asked for your nominations for the recognition awards.

After receiving over 60 different nominees across three categories, the judging panel had a tough but rewarding time picking the winners, awarding commendations and settling on their final choices.

CSP member engagement campaigns manager Rebecca Stiffell, who acted as chair of the judging panel, said: ‘It was great to hear about and celebrate all of the amazing things members and other physiotherapy advocates are achieving on behalf of physiotherapy.’

The overall winners and the highly commended and commended nominees for each category are listed below:

Influencer of the year

Winner - Donna Murphy

Donna received her award in recognition of how she influenced a major local decision around changes to community beds in Mid & South Essex.

Donna and her team were advised of changes being proposed by the Integrated Care Board (ICB) which would significantly affect her team and patients.

She felt that the value of physiotherapy in intermediate care was not understood by local decision makers and was determined to ensure that this was changed. 

Donna worked hard to respond to the consultation, with the aim of highlighting the value of good intermediate care for patients acting as an advocate for both their service and patients. 

Without Donna’s actions, the ICB simply would not have heard the physiotherapy profession’s voice when considering the changes to the services.

Although the consultation results are still to be determined, Donna gave it her all to ensure that she influenced the decision.

She told Frontline: ‘I was very surprised and proud to hear that I had won the CSP influencer of the year award. 

‘I have never thought of myself as an influencer, but this year was moved to advocate for my patients and my service when it was threatened with closure. 

‘The CSP have supported me throughout this process and to be recognised by them in this way is amazing. Thank you so much.’

Also shortlisted:

Commended: Dr Agnieszka Lewko

Volunteer of the year

Winner - Stephanie Land

Over the past year, Stephanie has demonstrated extraordinary leadership, courage, and determination, navigating the network through challenges while tirelessly supporting the LGBTQIA+ community within the physiotherapy profession.

Steph’s leadership has been instrumental in fostering a safe and supportive environment for LGBTQIA+ individuals within the profession, advocating for their rights, and amplifying their voices.

She has also taken on many other volunteer roles at the CSP, including leading a motion at the TUC LGBTQIA+ conference. 

Steph told Frontline: ‘I am delighted to receive the ‘volunteer of the year’ award.  

‘Being the chair of the LGBTQIA+ network was an honour and a privilege.  I am very proud of everything that the network has achieved collectively, particularly the statement on transphobia and the trans health guidance.  ‘I’m grateful for the recognition of both my input and the significant achievements of the LGBTQIA+ network.’

Also shortlisted:

Highly commended: Ibidayo Orolade, Odirachukwu Ahanonu and Emelie Anekwu

Commended: Lisa Burrows 

Network of the year

Winner - CSP London regional network

The London regional network has made significant progress in delivering engagement opportunities for CSP members in the London region after a period of inactivity.

The network now provides a strategic approach to engage with members on topics of interest that matter the most to them.

They have raised the profile of the network through regular contact with their members using social media and member bulletins.

They are a network which truly reflects what it means to be ‘member led’.

Commenting on their award win, the London network told Frontline: ‘As a newly formed group we are extremely grateful and happy to be awarded with the recognition of network of the year!  

Collectively we have worked hard since reforming as a network in April 2023, to deliver all-inclusive in person events for all our London members so that we can personally engage and to encourage networking. 

‘We are proud to be a diverse group representing a cross section of the CSP.  And we are delighted to have received this award, and we aim to continue an enthusiastic approach when representing the London network.’

Also shortlisted:

Highly commended: CSP East of England regional network, CSP equality reps

Commended: CSP BAME network, Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Vestibular Rehabilitation (ACPIVR).

Student awards

The 2024 CSP student conference featured inspiring sessions on learning and development and opportunities to connect for student members and newly qualified physiotherapists. 

The first day closed with the presentation of awards. Sam Greaves of Keele University took the prize for the best research poster presentation, while Matt Brown from Manchester Metropolitan University was awarded runner-up.   

The winners of the student rep of the year award and the educator of the year awards were also presented:

CSP Student Rep of the year

Winner - Mabel Anugo from the University of Bradford 

Mabel was nominated by many of her fellow students, who expressed their gratitude for her continued willingness to help them on an individual basis, and her support in the development of the student community at Bradford, including their student society. 

Mabel has been an especially effective representative of her cohort and has worked hard to help them understand and access all the opportunities the CSP has to offer our student members. She is a generous colleague to her fellow students and also to us here at the CSP. 

After being presented with her award, Mabel thanked her peers for helping her to become student rep of the year. She told delegates: 

My main goal in taking up a rep role was to give a voice to students at my university and student physios in general. I want to improve the student experience however I can.

Mabel also told Frontline: ‘I am grateful to the CSP for providing a platform for students to share ideas on improving student experience. 

‘I am thankful to my incredible peers for their trust and support. I look forward to continuing to elevate the voice of students who share the same drive for advancing our profession. This recognition is as much theirs as it is mine.’

Educator of the year

Winner - Catherine Caley from the student coordination group at Southmead Hospital, North Bristol NHS Trust 

Catherine’s achievements as part of the student coordination group at Southmead are incredible alone, but it was her advocacy on behalf of students with protected characteristics, and tenacity in striving for equity that made this nomination really stand out.  

One example of Catherine’s support was when advocating for a student on placement who needed adjustments to the ‘bare below elbow’ infection control policy. Catherine organised a meeting with infection control, her student, and ward staff. The outcome was for her student to be supported and continue wearing long sleeve clothes with additional single-use apron sleeves, to meet infection control policy.  

That was a great example of how Catherine’s persistence and devotion to the protection of her students resulted in a solution, which was appreciated by ward staff and her student. 

Commenting on her award, Catherine said: ‘I am feeling very special and so grateful to have been nominated, let alone win this award. 

‘Thanks to all my lovely supportive colleagues at North Bristol NHS trust including my fellow student coordinators and a big shout out to all the students that I have had the pleasure of working with and learning from over the years.’

‘It feels lovely to be able to celebrate our work and what we do to support students with clinical learning, as well as pastoral and wellbeing needs.’

Professional awards

Along with the recipients of the recognition and student awards, we also want to extend a huge congratulations to two CSP members who have been awarded fellowships for advancing physiotherapy.

Helen Batty and Judith Reid have both been awarded fellowships of the Society, in recognition of their outstanding work and impact on the physiotherapy profession.

The CSP awards professional awards every year. These include fellowships, honorary fellowships and distinguished service awards. These acknowledge the contribution made by members, and notable non-members, to advancing the profession through their outstanding contribution to and impact on physiotherapy practice.

At this year’s annual conference two, Helen Batty and Judith Reid, were both awarded fellowships.

Helen Batty

Helen Batty, principal lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, was awarded a fellowship for her sustained contribution to the advancement of, and impact on, the profession in the field of educational practice and leadership. 

Helen has been at the forefront of leading the innovation, development and change in culture in practice-based learning and her work has been shared across many higher education institutes (HEIs) and NHS organisations.

She has also co-developed and led an online community of practice (@AHPpracticeCoP) for colleagues from HEIs and practice interested in practice-based learning.

Her leadership of the community and regular informative webinars has led to significant sharing of innovations and new opportunities for students increased. For many years Helen has also volunteered with HEIs on behalf of the CSP to oversee quality assurance and enhancement activities and helped shape the strategic direction of the CSP by offering valuable insights into physiotherapy education-related policy, guidance, and regulatory standards. 

Upon receiving her fellowship Helen said: ‘I am truly honoured to receive this award which would not have been possible without the collective efforts of my academic colleagues, the CSP education team, practice partners and our wonderful students. I am deeply grateful for their support and collaboration over the years.’

Judith Reid 

Judith Reid, a consultant musculoskeletal physiotherapist was awarded a CSP fellowship for her sustained contribution to the advancement of, and impact on, the leadership of the profession within Scotland.

Judith chaired the AHP musculoskeletal national group and as Scottish national musculoskeletal programme lead. She has led and contributed to a range of national innovations, including the development of the Scottish Physiotherapy First Contact Knowledge, the Skills and Behaviours Framework, a new and innovative first contact AHP dataset, new AHP musculoskeletal minimum standards and has been an advocate for the AHP waiting time target to maintain national focus on AHP services. 

She has also worked alongside the CSP to develop a bespoke first contact physiotherapy resources for clinicians in Scotland.  

Judith is also co-founder of the Scottish Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy Community of Practice, which was established in 2020 and provides a forum for physiotherapy development in Scotland across the four pillars of practice. 

She has engaged with a range of AHP stakeholders to develop integrated innovative musculoskeletal pathways, which have been implemented across a number of Scottish NHS boards. 

Judith has been instrumental in championing the early implementation of the NHS 24 digital Musculoskeletal Assessment Triage and Service (MATS) providing widespread self-management advice and equitable physiotherapy self-referral for patients across Scotland and was also instrumental in the development of the ‘Allied Health Professionals (AHP) Musculoskeletal Pathway Minimum Standards: A Framework for Action 2015-2016’ in 2014. 

Judith has helped facilitate a contextual change and new engagement with Scottish government which continues to be of significant strategic and operational importance to the profession and wider stakeholders moving forward.   

Commenting on her fellowship Judith said: ‘I am really very touched to have received this exceptional award. My thanks must go to all of the amazing colleagues and patients that I have and continue to work with, who motivate and inspire me.’