Nuala was one of three consultants at Northwick Park Hospital to be included in the honours list for their work during the first wave of the pandemic.
Hospital consultant Nuala Lucas, from Chalfont St Giles, initially mistook the email informing her about the inclusion in the Queen’s honours list as spam and almost missed out on the great news.
She said: “I was incredulous. It’s a fantastic honour not just for me and my profession, but the whole maternity team I work with.”
The hospital was badly hit by the pandemic and it treated nearly 1,400 patients with COVID-19 during the April month.
Nuala, who works as a consultant obstetric anesthetist in the hospital’s maternity department, helped look after women in labour with COVID-19.
She added: “It was a tough time for everyone, but the camaraderie and way in which everyone pulled together was extraordinary. I haven’t seen anything like it in my career. The majority of hospital services were suspended and given over to the treatment of Covid-19 patients, but that’s not possible in maternity as you can’t postpone a baby’s due date.”
“We worked out a system where partners could be present at the birth and, luckily, the majority of mums-to-be displayed mild symptoms of the virus with minimal risk of onward transmission to their babies.”
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