North Bristol NHS Trust Neonatal Consultant David Evans has been made an MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours.
The consultant, who has worked in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Southmead Hospital for almost 21 years, was made an MBE for Neonatology and Medical Education, particularly during Covid-19.
Dr Evans is Vice President (Training and Assessment) of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and was previously Head of School for Paediatrics at the Severn Deanery, which provides postgraduate education and training for doctors in the South West.
He described the field of neonatal medicine, which involves caring for babies who are born premature or unwell, is “clinically rather like anaesthetics and intensive care specialties, but has the bonus of being able to see the progress of patients as they grow-up and come in for follow-up appointments”.
Dr Evans added that a great strength of neonatology is the multi-professional working, with doctors, nurses, nursery nurses, physiotherapists and dietitians being involved in both the care of babies and, increasingly, in the development of the clinical service.
“It is nice to have recognition for this area of work, as the importance of neonatology and medical education are not necessarily acknowledged within the wider medical world. Neonatology is a specialty that has really grown over the last 40 years and become truly multi-disciplinary,” he said.
“All the things I’ve done have been possible because of the contribution and commitment of those who work in our brilliant NICU team at North Bristol, and hardworking staff and colleagues at the RCPCH.
“It is really lovely to have this recognition for the NHS and our teams, in what has been a difficult year.”
Dr Evans is joined on the New Year’s Honours list by Phil Cowburn, a consultant trauma team leader at North Bristol NHS Trus, who has been honoured for his services to pre-hospital care, particularly during the response to COVID-19.
Dr Cowburn is based at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust's Bristol Royal Infirmary and is also a consultant at Great Western Air Ambulance Charity, the acute care medical director for South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust. He jointly led a successful pilot during the first COVID-19 surge on a new critical care transfer service.
North Bristol NHS Trust Medical Director, Chris Burton, said: “It is always great to see the doctors and clinicians at our hospitals recognised for their hard work in caring for our patients and those across the local area.
“We know this has been a particularly difficult year for all our staff, dealing with the pressures of the COVID pandemic, so it is wonderful to be able to celebrate the contributions of Chris and Phil at this time. Well done.”