Skip to the content

Richard Fawcett - A&E consultant

Richard Fawcett

Richard Fawcett, an Accident and Emergency consultant here at UHNM is a reservist and is currently the medical director of 208 field hospital and a UK delegate for CIOMR (NATO organisation) and international chair of the scientific committee. 

"I decided I wanted to do emergency medicine when I was at medical school. Having undertaken a placement in Emergency Department (ED) as one of my rotations I loved the work and the spirit of the doctors and nurses who worked there. I was attracted by the life or death situations that the team faced on a daily basis and the real difference the team made to peoples lives every single day.

"In my last year of medical school I joined the Army Reserves (which back then was known as the TA) to broaden my horizons and gain additional training and experiences above and beyond what was available to me if I just undertook NHS work.

"When I graduated in 2005 I made sure that I chose my foundation rotations carefully to ensure they would enhance my training to complement working in ED. And at the end of my two year foundation training I was deployed on my first tour of Afghanistan with the military to a field hospital in Camp Bastion. 

"Over the years I have seen trauma resuscitation adapt and grow resulting in some amazing outcomes for patients. Within a trauma team you get to witness great team work and see people shine in ways not possible when they work in isolation in other situations. For me, it is an example of EM (emergency medicine) at its greatest and a great demonstration of the dedication and commitment of staff to doing whatever it takes to save a patient's life. It is also an emotional time with many people investing their heart and souls into the care of the patient. It can be emotionally exhausting and upsetting for staff, especially if the patient doesn't survive. 

"My time with the military has shown me the amazing things that can be done when you dedicate huge resources to the care of injured soldiers in the middle of a desert and ensure that every part of their patient journey is optimised to maximise their chance of survival. These lessons have been integrated back into the NHS." 

Richard has visited numerous countries:

  • Quebec, Canada
  • Mitchigan, USA
  • Ascension Island
  • Maldives
  • Egypt
  • Cyprus
  • Finland
  • Germany
  • Op HERRICK 6, 14, 19 (Afghanistan)
  • Romania (Crovia)
  • Serbia
  • Brussels, Belgium (NATO HQ)
  • Hungary (Budapest)
  • Estonia (Tallinn)
  • Italy (Florence)
  • Edinburgh (Scotland)
  • Gibraltar
  • Cardiff. Wales

Back to top of page