Last night we were invited to celebrate A Decade of Difference – ten years of life saving impact from The David Nott Foundation at The Imperial War Museum. It was a fantastic event with incredible speeches that made us all cry and lovely music from around the world.
With my two brothers and daughter outside the Imperial War Museum;-
Dr James Gough, the new Chief Executive speaking with David and Ellie Nott:-
David Nott:-
The David Nott Foundation is an organisation that strives for a world where access to safe, skilled surgical care becomes a reality for all. They offer vitally important training to doctors and nurses operating in war zones such as Ukraine, Gaza, Libya, Syria and beyond. It is of course a massive concern that they’re seeing an increased demand for their products and services worldwide and we all felt immensely proud of the small team involved. They have so far trained 2158 doctors in 17 countries across the world to help communities contending with the horrors of war and catastrophe.
My brother Max at Health Cuts Ltd, is an integral part of the team and we were all so proud of him last night. He’s fully responsible for the making of HESTON – the medical simulation model “who’s been to more countries than Father Christmas” said David Nott, travelling around the world helping doctors learn life saving skills on their various HEST courses (Hostile Environment Surgical Training) to help them on the frontline.
He makes the hearts they practice operating on too:-
Great to see Bob Geldof and his wife Jeanne Marine offering their support:-
Last year eighty doctors were trained and deployed to Gaza from countries including Germany, Sweden and Qatar, with some participating in multiple missions. When David Nott did his speech he referenced two shining stars – his wife Ellie who is a co-founder and Max, who brought his vision to life. He explained that when he learnt to fly a plane, simulators were used and he felt the same need for medical training, so found Max to help him bring his plan to life. Heston is incredible and there’s even been a kidnap attempt on him apparently!
They are also now building capacity within the health system that addresses areas of care that have been neglected – and have added training for Obstetrics and Gynaecology covering a variety of common scenarios in maternal and neonatal health emergencies. 75% of displaced people are women and children and one of the five of those women will be pregnant, so understanding the complexities of childbirth emergencies is vital.
It is a truly remarkable mission they’re on and so inspiring. We met the new Chief Executive Dr James Gough who I’m quite sure will be increasing opportunities to touch more lives and make safe, skilled surgical care a reality for all in the years to come.
