A prominent Northern Ireland mental health expert has received a lifetime achievement award.
Professor Roy McClelland was honoured at the Royal College of Psychiatrists annual awards ceremony in London.
As Professor of Mental Health at Queen’s University School of Medicine, he was responsible for undergraduate teaching in psychiatry and was greatly involved in postgraduate psychiatry training.
A consultant psychiatrist at Belfast City Hospital, he also co-chaired the Bamford Review which has helped modernise mental health services in Northern Ireland.
After the Good Friday Agreement, he was involved in two major civil society ventures.
He chaired the Healing Through Remembering initiative, addressing the legacy of individual and communal trauma around the Troubles, and was also a trustee of the Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation, which provided psychotherapy for victims of the Omagh bombing.
Internationally, he was responsible for the development of European Standards in Confidentiality for which he was awarded the Geneva Prize for Human Rights in Psychiatry.
Speaking about the award, Professor McClelland said: "I have had a very privileged career, during which time I have met, and worked with many wonderful people.
"It has been a very fulfilling and rewarding journey. I would like to thank the Royal College for this award, I count it a great honour to receive such a prestigious accolade from my colleagues".
Prof Wendy Burn, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: “The RCPsych Awards are all about recognising and rewarding contributions to the mental health sector, but the Lifetime Achievement Award is a cut above the rest.
"I am so pleased that we’re able to publicly honour Professor McClelland for improving the lives of people living with mental illness in Northern Ireland."
