West Midlands Ambulance Service’s Medical Director, Dr Alison Walker, was thrilled to be presented with an Honorary Doctorate of Science by Coventry University yesterday.
The Doctorate was presented in honour of Alison’s dedicated contribution to the enhancement of pre-hospital care across the West Midlands and the country.
Alison has worked for the NHS for more than 30 years and has been with West Midlands Ambulance Service as interim, then substantive, Medical Director and Honorary Medical Advisor since 2010.
She is also the Chair of JRCALC, the Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee, which sets the guidelines for how all ambulance staff operate from a clinical perspective across the UK.
Last year she also received a prestigious Gold Medal from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine for her work developing links between hospitals and ambulance services during the pandemic.
Alison is also heavily involved in research, not only undertaking investigations herself, but supporting others to make steps forward in medical care.
She said: “I am really delighted to have received the Honorary Doctorate as it’s lovely to have that level of recognition from an academic body.”
I was supposed to be coming down to Coventry a year ago but couldn’t make it as I had a brain haemorrhage and got to see the NHS from a different perspective, as a patient.
Having spent three months in hospital and been further supported during my recovery, I really appreciate everything that staff within the NHS do to support patients every single day.
“The care I received means that I am not only able to return to work but also to have attended yesterday’s ceremony which was a fantastic event.”
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