An Oxford healthcare worker has been awarded for being a "compassionate, capable and caring colleague".

Consultant psychiatrist and clinical lead for the NIHR Oxford Health Clinical Research Facility, Dr Katharine Smith, won Oxford Health's Exceptional People Individual Award for April.

The accolade recognises her dedication, hard-work, and empathetic leadership at the only NIHR-supported clinical research facility dedicated to mental health.

Dr Smith's role at the Warneford Hospital-based facility includes meeting safety criteria across many trials as well as providing support to hundreds of trial participants.

Her presence in the workplace creates a "sense of stability, and her professional, empathetic, personable, and strong personality makes individuals feel supported in everything they do under her supervision".

Clinical research assistant, Dan Middleton, who nominated Dr Smith for the award, said: "In the last week alone, I have seen Katy support a colleague who had had some difficult personal problems, adapt to a lack of staffing and, without flinching, pick up the extra workload, as well as offering to stay later at work to support studies that ran later than the normal working day.

“I have also seen Katy laugh with staff members, enjoy cake that had been brought in, because even superheroes enjoy cake, and direct the clinical research facility team on multiple studies, again juggling an unbelievable caseload of studies whilst remaining stoic and not dropping her excellent standards.”