Professor Sir Jonathan van-Tam joined Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s celebrations to mark the work it does to support the armed forces community.
England’s former deputy chief medical officer, who led healthcare during the Covid-19 pandemic and is best known for televised Downing Street press conferences during the pandemic, visited King’s Mill Hospital on Wednesday (July 24, 2024).
He presented David Selwyn, acting chief executive of Sherwood Forest Hospitals, and members of the trust’s Armed Forces Staff Network with a Veterans Awareness Plaque.
The plaque recognizing the trust’s achievement of the highest gold standard accreditation available from the Veterans’ Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) demonstrates the strength of the trust’s commitment to ensuring that those who serve or have served in the armed forces and their families. Whenever they require the services of the Trust, they are considered reasonable. This commitment also covers all employees and volunteers across the Trust.
The plaque is already on display at Kings Mill and will soon be on display at Newark and Mansfield Community Hospitals.
David Selwyn said:
“Sherwood Forest Hospitals has a proud history of working with and supporting our Armed Forces.
“Our recent accreditation is the result of years of continuous improvement to identify and support the additional health care needs of our Armed Forces colleagues and veterans and serving patients.
“This is just the beginning of our journey with the launch of our Armed Forces Network and it is important that we keep our commitment to improving lives at the forefront of our minds in everything we do.
“We are very grateful to Sir Jonathan for taking the time to visit King’s Mill today and mark our achievements.”
Sir Jonathan aka ‘JVT’ hails from a military family and is an honorary colonel in the Army Cadet Corps.
Addressing members of the staff network, he praised the work the trust was doing to put veterans on the map both within the trust and in the local area, and said he hoped the network would go from strength to strength.
He said it was important to recognize the sacrifice made by members of the armed forces and their families as well as the contribution of those with military experience to civilian life.
Retired Col. Kelvin Wright, critical care specialist and service chief, and Brent Gilliker, clinical educator and surgical first assistant in trauma and orthopedics, were among those in attendance. Brent, who served in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, played a key role in establishing the Armed Forces Network. He presented Sir Jonathan with information about the history of King’s Mill Hospital as the first US military hospital in England during the Second World War.
During a lecture at the Education Center to healthcare professionals including consultants, junior doctors, medical students and nurses, Sir Jonathan joked that he was familiar with the trust’s work as he had spent so much time as a member of his family. Patient in the x-ray department of Newark Hospital. Thanking SFH colleagues for their service during the pandemic, he said he knows how dangerous and shocking the unprecedented situation is.
Sir Jonathan, an expert in respiratory viruses and vaccines, spoke about his professional history, the challenges he faced during the pandemic and how he overcame them, and the importance of good communication. He gave a behind-the-scenes insight into No 10’s televised press conferences before taking questions from attendees. Sir Jonathan also spent time talking to medical students currently studying and attached to SFH.
Sir Jonathan is a former vice-chancellor of the University of Nottingham, who studied medicine in the 1980s. He now provides strategic advice on medicine for the university.
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