Two dedicated members of the NHS Ambulance Service in England, and one each from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, have become the latest recipients of the prestigious Queen’s Ambulance Service Medal for Distinguished Service, announced in Her Majesty the Queen’s Birthday Honours List on Saturday 10 October 2020.
The Queen’s Ambulance Service Medal (QAM) honours a very small, select group of ambulance personnel who have shown exceptional devotion to duty, outstanding ability, merit and conduct in their roles within NHS Ambulance Services.
Today’s two recipients for England are Paul Henry from East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust, and Richard Marlow of South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.
- Richard James Marlow
Paramedic and Lead Manager for Helicopter Emergency Medical Services, South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Richard has been recognised for his contribution to the delivery of high quality pre-hospital patient care and a dedication to exemplary service for over 35 years.
Richard is a Paramedic and has been in a senior management role since 2002 working across A&E Operations, Ambulance Emergency Operations Centres (Ambulance Control Rooms) and most latterly in Emergency Preparedness, Resilience, Response and Special Operations as the lead Manager for Helicopter Emergency Medical Services and specialist practice within the Critical Care environment and public events.
He is well known and highly regarded in his local community and regularly responds to patients in and out of hours regardless of the time of day, on or off duty.
- Paul Henry
Operational Leadership, East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Paul has dedicated nearly 37 years to the Ambulance Service undertaking a variety of operational roles and throughout has devoted his energy and ability to both serve and contribute to the progression of the Ambulance Service: with each role he has made his mark.
He continues to be instrumental in preparing the service for future demands; leading and setting the strategic vision, the drive and delivery of large-scale fleet and infrastructure modernisation, creating new efficient services for workshops and make-ready services to assist operational teams and maximise patient safety, care and comfort.
In Wales, the recipient of the QAM was Ian Michael Price, Emergency Medical Technician at Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust, and Northern Ireland Ambulance Service saw Elizabeth Lawrence Coulter, Ambulance Service Area Manager, receive the same deserved recognition.In Scotland, the QAM was awarded to John Burnham, Associate Director of Care Quality & Professional Development, Scottish Ambulance Service.
The recipients are now entitled to place the letters ‘QAM’ after their names, on occasions when the use of such letters is customary. In accordance with custom, the medals will be formally presented at an Investiture Ceremony.
The QAM was introduced in 2012 and the number of nominations in any one year may never exceed ten and includes up to four Medals for England, up to two Medals for Wales, up to two Medals for Scotland, up to one Medal for Northern Ireland and up to one Medal for the Channel Islands.
The Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE) is responsible for co-ordinating the nominations of QAMs in England, with nominations coming from within Trusts and being seconded by their Trust Chief Executives before being sent for consideration for final nomination by the AACE Board.
We offer our sincere congratulations to all recipients and thank them for their service.
