NHS staff working in the North West have been recognised in the historic Queen’s Honours.

Announced on June 2, the Platinum Jubilee Honours celebrate the Queen’s 70 years’ service and recognise individuals across the UK.

Regional Director for NHS England and NHS Improvement North West, Amanda Doyle, congratulated NHS staff recognised in the Queen’s Honours. She said: “I’m incredibly proud of colleagues working across the region who have gone above and beyond to provide the best care to our patients, especially over what has been a very challenging two years.

“The passion and dedication among our workforce is incredible and I congratulate you all, as well as other recipients in the North West, on receiving such significant awards.”

Dr Andrew Furber, Regional Director of the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities North West and Regional Director of Public Health at NHS North West received an OBE for his commitment to improving public health. Commenting on receiving his honour, Andrew said: “I feel tremendously grateful to be given this honour, particularly on the occasion of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. My contribution has always been as part of a team, and I want to say thank you to all those I work with in the North West and in previous roles over the last three decades.”

Dr Rizwan Ahmed, Respiratory Consultant and Clinical Lead for Respiratory Medicine at Bolton NHS FT was awarded an MBE for services to public health during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said: “I am extremely honoured and humbled to receive this award. This achievement would not have been possible without the help and dedication of the amazing team I work with at Royal Bolton Hospital, the Centre of Excellence in Safety for Older People and support from my family.”

Joanne Mohammed, Registered Nurse at Bolton NHS FT received an BEM for services to nursing and disability awareness. She said: “Throughout my life I have been met with barriers, so to be recognised by Her Majesty is really special. I now have a platform to talk about disability and I want to show that you can be deaf and have a career and go on to achieve. It’s great to know that what I have done is of value. The BEM almost feels too good to be true. It took a while for it to sink in because I never envisaged being recognised like this.”

An MBE was awarded to Sheena Cumiskey, retired Chief Executive at Wirral and Cheshire Partnership NHS FT for contributions to improving mental health. Sheena said: “My work in helping to develop and improve mental health services, challenge stigma and champion parity of esteem has been an inspiration and joy to me. I am absolutely delighted that this has been recognised by Her Majesty; not only for myself but just as importantly for the many people who have made the journey with me.”

Professor Srimathi Rajagopalan Maurali, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at Wigan Wrightington and Leigh NHS FT was awarded an MBE for services to international training and recruitment. Commenting on his award, Professor Murali said: “Learning of my MBE nomination was a very pleasant surprise but I could not have done any of the work I have been recognised for without the team behind me. I share this award with them and the rest of my colleagues at WWL.”

An OBE was awarded to Professor May NG, Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist at Southport and Ormskirk NHS FT for commitments to improving the care of young people with diabetes and young people with autism. She said: “I am surprised and deeply humbled to be honoured by this award. I wish to express my immense gratitude for the support from my family, my parents, my team, colleagues, and the children and families I work with. This award reflects the dedication of so many people, and my greatest hope is that the recognition afforded by the OBE focuses attention on the continued efforts to improve diabetes care and raise autism awareness globally.”

In addition to the honours, this year to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee, staff and volunteers from North West Ambulance Service, along with other emergency workers across the country, were awarded Platinum Jubilee Medals in recognition of their work on the nation’s frontline each and every day.

The full list of Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours 2022 is available here.