South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) is delighted that three members of its staff have been recognised in the New Year’s Honours list.
Director of Operations, Joe Garcia, Director of Quality and Nursing, Bethan Eaton-Haskins and Ambulance Technician, Peter Glover, all receive MBEs for their service and commitment over many years.
Joe and Bethan receive MBEs in particular for their leadership during the pandemic, while Peter is recognised for his service to the NHS, community resuscitation and services to the wider community.
Joe, from Eastbourne in East Sussex, is serving in his 36th year in the ambulance service, following a short career in the Royal Marines. He has been instrumental in the Trust’s operational response to the coronavirus pandemic and also in SECAmb’s much-improved Care Quality Commission rating. He is due to retire in the spring.
Bethan, from Sevenoaks, Kent, joined SECAmb three years ago following a range of other roles in a career spanning more than 20 years. As well as working with Joe and senior leaders on a number of key quality and patient experience improvements, Bethan has led the Trust’s COVID-19 response since the start of the year and was formally appointed as SECAmb’s COVID-19 Director alongside her Director of Quality and Nursing role.
Ambulance Technician, Peter from Frimley, Surrey, has worked for the ambulance service for 20 years. He works annualised hours in a front-line ambulance role, completing shifts at weekends or evenings, since moving to a role in primary health care in 2017. Peter is passionate about the teaching of CPR and life-saving skills and has played a key role in the installation of public access defibrillators within his local community and beyond.
SECAmb Chief Officer Philip Astle said: “I am really pleased that Joe, Bethan and Peter have been recognised in this year’s New Year’s Honours. Their inclusion is testament to the dedication and commitment they have shown to serving their communities and helping others over many years. It is also particularly fitting that in this year, when the ambulance service has been at the forefront of responding to the pandemic, we have three members of staff on the list. Every hour of every day ambulance staff are doing amazing work to keep people safe. Joe, Bethan and Peter all agree that their honours should be seen as a recognition of the excellence of all those associated with the South East Coast Ambulance Service.”
Joe Garcia said: “I am delighted and humbled to have been recognised for the service I have been able to offer to my colleagues in what we have referred to as ‘Team SECAmb’ during this pandemic.
“My colleagues throughout all quarters of the Trust are doing an amazing job under very difficult conditions. I am also very proud of my operational leadership team. Every one of them has worked tirelessly to improve the standards for both our patients and staff in SECAmb. I has been a great honour to be able to say I was part of this team.”
Bethan Eaton-Haskins said: “I am incredibly humbled to have been nominated and awarded this honour. All the staff within SECAmb have worked together tirelessly as a team to ensure we can continue to provide excellent services to patients during this difficult year and I am immensely proud to have been part of that and played a role within it.”
Peter Glover said: “I’m gobsmacked and humbled. I still don’t really believe it’s true. Staff and volunteers at SECAmb give their very best knowing it will make a difference to patients. To play a small role in that is something I care deeply about and I’m honoured to be a part of it. I do this because I love it and I am so proud of my family in green, who do an incredible job day-in, day-out.”