Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal attends the Royal College of Anaesthetists Winter Symposium
Patron of the Royal College of Anaesthetists (RCoA), Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal presented awards at the College’s Winter Symposium on 21 November, where she also met with College members and employees.
Her Royal Highness celebrated the achievements of RCoA members by presenting awards for outstanding achievements in the field of anaesthesia. The College Medal for a significant achievement to the College was awarded to Professor William Harrop-Griffiths and Dr Neil McGuire, the Dudley Buxton Prize for meritorious work in anaesthesia was presented to Dr Bernard Liban and the President’s Commendation for a sustained contribution to the College was presented to Dr Rana Hafiz Ur Rehman.
The Princess Royal was greeted by Dr Claire Shannon, President of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, Vice-Presidents Dr Toni Brunning and Dr Chris Carey, and Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Brüün.
Her Royal Highness met with a group of doctors currently undertaking specialty training in anaesthesia and with the team behind Dennis has an anaesthetic, an online Beano comic strip developed to help children understand what it’s like to have a general anaesthetic and help reduce their anxiety about surgery.
The Princess Royal also spoke with members of the research team that led the College’s influential 7th National Audit Project, which aims to inform improvements in the care of patients who experience cardiac arrest in the period before, during and after surgery.
Her Royal Highness went on to view the poster presentation at the Winter Symposium, which featured initiatives to avoid cancellations on the day of surgery.
Dr Claire Shannon, President of the Royal College of Anaesthetists said:
“It was an honour to welcome Her Royal Highness to our College and our Winter Symposium.
“In presenting awards to College members who have made a significant contribution to the specialty of anaesthesia, Her Royal Highness demonstrated once again her understanding of our members’ valuable contribution to medicine and patient care across the UK.
“We are grateful to have such an engaged and thoughtful patron, and our members and employees were pleased to have the opportunity to discuss their work.”
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal became an Honorary Fellow of the College in 1990 and Patron in 1997. During this time, she has supported the College’s work to ensure the quality of patient care by safeguarding standards in anaesthesia, intensive care and pain medicine. As patron, she has attended numerous events held by the College, reinforcing her commitment to the medical community.
