BRI consultant recognised in Queen’s New Year Honours list

A consultant at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) has been recognised in the Queen’s New Year Honours list.

Professor Jonathan Benger, a consultant in emergency medicine at the Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI), has been awarded a CBE.

Jonathan, who is also Chief Medical Officer for NHS Digital, has been honoured for services to the NHS.

Graduating from University of Bristol Medical School in 1990, Jonathan initially trained as a surgeon, then in anaesthesia, intensive care and paediatrics, before specialising in emergency medicine.

He has previously led several reforms of emergency care as the National Clinical Director for Urgent and Emergency Care at NHS England.

Most recently, he has been leading on digital and data provision for the health and care system, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes NHS111 online, the NHS.UK website and the NHS app, all of which have been central to the pandemic response - 16 million people now use the NHS app.

Jonathan, who has worked at UHBW as a consultant in emergency medicine since 2003, said: “It’s obviously a very proud moment, but it's also an opportunity to acknowledge the outstanding teams with which I have had the privilege of working.

“Emergency care is a ‘team discipline'; it's only possible to push things forward and improve care by working as part of a coordinated and effective multi-disciplinary team.

“I think it's vital to remain clinically grounded, and I work in the Trust every week. It is so important that clinicians with a national leadership role also work on the front line to ensure we are clinically credible, and close to the practical delivery of patient care and the challenges that staff face every day. I am proud to work for UHBW.”