His Majesty The King’s Birthday Honours 2026
Five dedicated lifesavers across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have been awarded the prestigious King’s Ambulance Service Medal (KAM) in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours. The award celebrates their exceptional public service, leadership, and care.
The King’s Ambulance Service Medal (KAM) 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, and the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives, who coordinates the nominations for England, welcomed the recognition.
Today’s KAM recipients are:
- Liam Sagi – National Strategic Lead for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (AACE) and Advanced Paramedic in Critical Care (East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust)
- Paula Jeffery – Consultant Paramedic, Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust
- Dr. Maxine Power – Lately Director of Quality, Innovation and Improvement, North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust
- Colin Brown – Paramedic, Kilwinning Ambulance Station, Scottish Ambulance Service
- William Cochrane – Assistant Director of Operations, Northern Ireland Ambulance Service
Liam Sagi
AACE / EEAST
Liam received the medal for his ground-breaking work in improving cardiac arrest survival rates across the UK.
Serving as the National Strategic Lead for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest at the Association of Ambulance Chief Executives (AACE), Liam also works as an Advanced Paramedic in Critical Care for the East of England Ambulance Service.
He also spearheaded a UK-first pilot using live video support to guide bystanders through CPR during 999 calls, assisting them to deliver high-quality resuscitation and use a defibrillator. This early support can make a life-saving difference before ambulance crews arrive.
Paula Jeffery
WAST
The Consultant Paramedic for the Welsh Ambulance Services University NHS Trust was recognised for her exceptional clinical leadership and service across Wales.
Paula previously made a notable impact for her pioneering care roles, as highlighted by the South Wales Guardian.
Dr. Maxine Power
NWAS
The former Director of Quality, Innovation and Improvement at the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust was awarded for driving systemic advancements in patient safety and staff care.
She was a key driver in introducing digital innovation across the service, ensuring that new systems delivered real benefits for staff and patients in practice. Her work helped modernise how NWAS deliver emergency care, and that legacy remains in place today.
In 2024, Maxine established the first improvement academy at NWAS, bringing international expertise in improvement science to both frontline teams and senior leaders. This has supported meaningful improvements across the organisation, while helping staff build the confidence and capability to lead change.
Colin Brown
SAS
A veteran Paramedic at the Kilwinning Ambulance Station for the Scottish Ambulance Service, Colin was honoured for nearly 40 years of passionate service and mentoring generations of new students, many of whom are now qualified practitioners and clinical team leaders.
He joined the Service in 1987 as an Ambulance Care Assistant in Ayr, before qualifying as a Technician two years later. After spending 10 years in Largs, he moved to Kilwinning to become a Paramedic, where he has remained since.
Mark Cochrane
NIAS
Mark Cochrane, Assistant Director of Operations at the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, received the medal for his outstanding leadership during high-pressure crises.
He spearheaded critical safety trials, including introducing body-worn cameras to protect frontline staff from public aggression. Cochrane has also been the primary operational lead navigating the service through record-breaking winter overcrowding and coordinating emergency covers during healthcare strikes.
Further recognition for the ambulance sector
As well as the King’s Ambulance Medal, AACE also pay tribute to other members of the ambulance sector who have been recognised.
Paul Gates (BEM): The Deputy Chief Paramedic for the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust was awarded the British Empire Medal. He was honoured for his outstanding contribution to pre-hospital emergency care and his extensive volunteer work with the British Association for Immediate Care (BASICS).
Paul serves as Vice-Chair of the British Association for Immediate Care (BASICS) and is Co-Founder and Chairman of BASICS Essex. He has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare, education and leadership.
At EEAST, Paul leads on clinical practice, professional standards, patient safety, and patient experience. Alongside this, he continues his work with BASICS, a national organisation that supports doctors, paramedics and other healthcare professionals to deliver urgent care to seriously ill or injured patients at the scene, prior to hospital transfer.
David Alun Gardner (MBE): The Assistant Chief Commissioner for St John Ambulance Cymru was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his dedicated voluntary emergency medical services and community contributions in Newtown, Powys.
Dr Simon Lewis (MBE): A frontline emergency clinician for Magpas Air Ambulance, he was awarded an MBE for his lifelong commitment to advanced pre-hospital trauma care and his critical role in founding the original Cambridgeshire Community First Responder Scheme.
Dr Rod Mackenzie (MBE): A frontline emergency clinician for Magpas Air Ambulance, he received an MBE for his pioneering medical research and clinical advancements in air ambulance care.
Gary Davies (MBE): A police officer and youth justice practitioner who volunteers heavily as a frontline Community First Responder alongside the Welsh Ambulance Service, he was honoured for his exceptional services to public safety in Rhondda, Mid Glamorgan.
Becki Coombe (MBE): A dedicated Community First Responder for the West Midlands Ambulance Service, she was awarded an MBE for her wide-ranging humanitarian work, which also includes founding a charity for disengaged students and volunteering for Lowland Search and Rescue in Warwickshire.
About the King’s Ambulance Service Medal
The King’s Ambulance Service Medal is awarded to members of the NHS Ambulance Service (and equivalents) in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Channel Islands for distinguished service. It was introduced on 11 July 2011 and first awarded during the 2012 Birthday Honours. Recipients may use the post-nominal letters “KAM” or “QAM” depending on when the award was made, and on occasions when the use of such letters is customary.
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.
In accordance with custom, the medals will be formally presented at an Investiture Ceremony.
Learn more about the KAM nomination process here.
We offer our sincere congratulations to all recipients and thank them for their dedication and service!
