Jonathan Van-Tam joins Veteran award celebrations at King’s Mill Hospital

Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam joined celebrations at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to mark the work it is doing to support the Armed Forces community.

The former Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, who led on health protection during the Covid-19 pandemic and is best known for the televised Downing Street press conferences during the pandemic, visited King’s Mill Hospital on Wednesday (24 July 2024).

He presented a Veteran Aware plaque to David Selwyn, Acting Chief Executive at Sherwood Forest Hospitals, and members of the Trust’s Armed Forces Staff Network.

The plaque, which recognises the Trust achieving the gold standard accreditation - the highest available - from the Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA), shows the strength of the Trust’s commitment to ensuring that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces and their families are treated fairly whenever they need the Trust’s services. This commitment also covers all employees and volunteers across the Trust. 

The plaque is already on display at King’s Mill and will soon be on show 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 a result of continuous improvement over several years to recognise and support our Armed Forces colleagues and the additional healthcare needs of veterans and serving patients. Along with the launch of our Armed Forces Network this is just the start of our journey and it’s important that we keep our commitment at the forefront of our minds in everything we are doing to improve lives.

“We’re very grateful to Sir Jonathan for taking the time to visit King’s Mill today and help mark our achievements.”

Sir Jonathan, or ‘JVT’ as he is known, comes from a military family and is Honorary Colonel of the Army Cadet Force. Speaking to members of the staff network, he praised the Trust for the work it was doing to put veterans on the map within the Trust and in the local area, and said he hoped the network went from strength to strength. He said it was important to recognise the sacrifice made by members of the Armed Forces and their families, as well as the contribution those with military experience make to civilian life.

Among those present were Retired Colonel Kelvin Wright, who is Specialist and Head of Service in Critical Care, and Brent Gillicker, Clinical Educator and Surgical First Assistant in Trauma and Orthopaedics. Brent, who served in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, has played a key role in setting up the Armed Forces Network. He presented Sir Jonathan with information about King’s Mill Hospital’s history as the first US Army Hospital in England during World War II. 

During a lecture to healthcare professionals, including consultants, junior doctors, medical students and nurses, in the Education Centre, Sir Jonathan joked that he was familiar with the work of the Trust as a member of his family had spent a lot of time as a patient in the x-ray department of Newark Hospital. He thanked SFH colleagues for their work during the pandemic, saying he knew how awful and traumatic the unprecedented situation was.

Sir Jonathan, who is an expert in respiratory viruses and vaccines, talked about his career history, the challenges faced during the pandemic and how they were tackled, and the importance of good communication. He provided behind-the-scenes insight into the televised press briefings at No 10 before taking questions from attendees. Sir Jonathan also took the time to talk to medical students currently studying and attached to SFH.

Sir Jonathan is a former Pro-Vice-Chancellor at University of Nottingham, where he studied medicine in the 1980s. He now provides strategic advice in Medicine for the University.