New Year Honours 2021: Air Ambulance co-founder recognised

Philip Cowburn said the award was "for all the teams I work with"

A co-founder of the Great Western Air Ambulance Service thought he was the victim of a prank when he was told he was being awarded an MBE.

Philip Cowburn said he saw the award as a tribute to healthcare teams.

He also works as a consultant in emergency medicine for the South Western Ambulance Service and at Bristol hospitals.

Dr Cowburn said his first reaction to being given the "humbling" award was "utter disbelief".

He said: "For me it is a recognition from my peers because of the nominations and seeing some of what we've achieved.

"This is not for me. It's for all the teams I work with, within the ambulance service, within the acute hospitals, within the networks - it's about what we have come together to deliver."

The 53-year-old said the air ambulance service had gone from "strength to strength" since it was launched in 2007.

The charity said it had undertaken about 1,700 missions this year, treating five seriously injured patients per day in Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, Gloucestershire and South Gloucestershire.

Dr Cowburn, from Stonehouse in Gloucestershire, has also been at the forefront of a project to transport coronavirus patients from busy intensive care units to others around the country to ensure they receive treatment.

On being told he was being recognised in the New Year's Honours, he said he thought it was initially one of his "humorous colleagues" having a "little wind-up".

But he soon realised it was genuine and "gratefully accepted" the award.

Great Western Air Ambulance Charity CEO, Anna Perry, said: "We are extremely proud that Phil has been honoured with an MBE, and I would like to thank him for his inspirational efforts and congratulate him on his thoroughly deserved award.

"Phil is a humble person, and feels he only achieves what he does with the help of the whole Critical Care Team at GWAAC."