Northern Ireland Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) Paramedic Glenn O’Rorke was one of three shortlisted for ‘Air Ambulance Paramedic of the year’ at the Air Ambulance Awards of Excellence on 12th November at the Millennium Chelsea Harbour Hotel, London.

The shortlist for the national award was selected by an independent judging panel, following a very competitive nomination process.
As well as being a HEMS paramedic Glenn is also the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) Operational Lead for the HEMS service in Northern Ireland which went live on 22nd July 2017, delivered through a partnership with NIAS and the Charity, Air Ambulance Northern Ireland (AANI).

Since then the air ambulance has been tasked to over 570 emergencies across Northern Ireland, providing advanced pre-hospital critical care to patients.
Glenn, who has been part of the HEMS team since its inception in 2017, was nominated for his role in helping develop the service in Northern Ireland from its foundation. In a short space of four months prior to operations commencing, Glenn and his team transformed a blank shell of a modular building into a fully functioning HEMS base, encompassing medical store, pharmacy, changing facilities, rest room, training facility and office accommodation. Glenn was also instrumental in recruiting and training a team of six HEMS paramedics.

Following the awards ceremony, Glenn said: “I am excited and humbled to be included on the shortlist for this award. Being a part of the HEMS team is an incredibly rewarding experience, especially as someone who has been involved since the project was approved by the Department of Health. I’m honoured to be a part of the partnership between AANI and NIAS delivering critical pre-hospital care. I love what I do, and I’m delighted my work has been recognised.
“Whilst being on the shortlist has brought attention me personally, I honestly believe it is a fitting recognition of the work of the team, particularly my fellow paramedics, the doctors and the pilots who, on a daily basis, bring life-saving interventions to those who may die otherwise. I hope this recognition raises the profile of our local HEMS and the work of our charity partners, AANI, as it has become embedded in the pre-hospital care response of NIAS to some of the most critically injured in Northern Ireland.”

NIAS Chief Executive, Michael Bloomfield, congratulated Glenn and his team on this recognition from their peers, saying: “I am delighted that Glenn was shortlisted for the ‘Air Ambulance Paramedic of the Year’ award. It is a very fitting acknowledgment of his personal commitment to the HEMS service in Northern Ireland since its inception, but also to the professionalism, dedication and exceptional service provided by the whole team. HEMS is an excellent collaboration between paramedics, doctors, pilots and the charity AANI which has made a huge difference in saving the lives of many people in such a short time. Congratulations and very well deserved.”

Ian Crowe, Chairman of Air Ambulance Northern Ireland, added: “We were thrilled to see Glenn be shortlisted for the ‘Air Ambulance Paramedic of the Year’ award but we were not at all surprised. Over the past 15 months, Glenn has been a critical part of the Northern Ireland air ambulance story demonstrating governance, diligence and leadership. The air ambulance service would not be as far advanced as it is now without his commitment. We would like to congratulate Glenn on being nominated for this award and we can’t wait to see what more he brings to the air ambulance service in the years to come.”

 

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