Countess of Chester Hospital staff member honoured by His Majesty the King

A dedicated member of the Countess of Chester Hospital was awarded the prestigious Humanitarian Medal by His Majesty the King in recognition of her service in crisis zones around the world.

Advanced Clinical Practitioner, Lorraine Lloyd, was presented with the medal by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace in a special ceremony to honour the courageous work she undertook through her secondary role in which Lorraine goes on secondment for with Manchester based charity, UK-Med.

UK-Med is a frontline humanitarian medical NGO that has been working for over 30 years towards a world where everyone has the healthcare they need when crises or disasters hit. Much of this work is conducted by the UK Emergency Medical Team (UK EMT) which provides emergency healthcare on behalf of the UK Government, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO).

Lorraine, who has primarily worked in the Emergency Department at the local hospital since 1991, has taken part in a number of deployments with UK-Med over the past six years, visiting countries including Sierre Leone, Malawi and Ukraine, as well as providing support after flooding in Libya and following the invasion of Gaza in October 2023.

Announced in July 2023, the Humanitarian Medal is a new national form of recognition awarded to public servants and members of organisations contributing to global humanitarian responses on behalf of HM Government, and for Lorraine this recognition relates to her work in Libya and Gaza. With over 30 years of experience in frontline healthcare, Lorraine provided primary medical care and support for injured civilians, displaced families, and fellow medical professionals under extreme conditions, with the hospital in Gaza consistently seeing up to 1,000 patients a day.

Speaking of the experience, Lorraine shared:

“I am deeply honoured to have received this accolade from King Charles, this was very much a collaborative team effort and represented the achievements of our UK-Med team.

“This award recognises the extraordinary service in response to humanitarian emergencies, and the UK - Med team played a crucial role in delivering emergency care in one of the most challenging and extreme conditions imaginable.”

Elaborating on her recent visit to Buckingham Palace, where she received this prestigious award by His Majesty, the King, Lorraine said: “It was an incredibly special occasion, which I was lucky enough to share with my daughter, Bethan, who also works at the Countess of Chester Hospital. It was such a special and memorable experience.”

Dr Charlotte Elliott, Clinical Lead in the Emergency Department at the Countess of Chester Hospital, and Lorraine’s colleague praised the work Lorraine has been involved in.

Dr Elliot said:

“Lorraine is a true hero and embodies the very best of nursing and humanitarian work.

“Her selflessness to travel to conflict zones multiple times and provide medical care is incredible.

“This recognition is so very well deserved. We are so lucky to call her our colleague and friend.”

Alongside her role at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust – which is made up of The Countess of Chester Hospital, Ellesmere Port Hospital and Tarporley War Memorial Hospital and provides services to 445,000 people a year from West Cheshire, Ellesmere Port, Neston and North Wales.

Lorraine is hoping to continue to take part in further humanitarian responses with UK-Med in the future.

Pictured - Lorraine with daughter Bethan receiving the Humanitarian Medal at Buckingham Palace.