Congratulations go to David Monk, CUH’s Operations Manager for Urgent and Unscheduled Care, whose hard work during the Covid pandemic has been recognised with a top award from the Open University.
David was presented with The Business School’s Alumni of the Year Achievement Award on Thursday (14 October).
David, who is 41, spent eight years studying with the university between 2004 and 2012, firstly graduating with a BSc (Hons) in Life Sciences and then staying on to complete his MBA.
I left school at 18 not wanting to study anymore having battled to complete my A-levels and with no real direction for a career. My hobby with the British Red Cross and then St John Ambulance led me to become a paramedic, with The Open University allowing me to continue my new-found thirst for knowledge and development.
David Monk
His hard work and dedication means David now jointly leads the Emergency Department and the East of England Major Trauma Centre at Addenbrooke’s, both of which came under increasing pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Within this role he also leads the Cambridge Urgent Treatment Centre, three Minor Injury Units and a Network Coordination Service that supports the East of England Major Trauma Network, as well as managing the provision of tactical medical advisors to the East of England Ambulance Service and coordinating with other partners to shape urgent and emergency care delivery across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.
For the last 17 years he’s also continued to volunteer for first aid charity, St John Ambulance and is the first non-doctor to hold the post of Associate Medical Director, one of the charity’s senior medical roles.
Working alongside the local team of St John Ambulance volunteers, David has also been instrumental in setting up hospital volunteering at Addenbrooke’s, and the hospital now leads the way in working with volunteers, developing an approach which has proved especially effective for patients and medical staff during the COVID-19 pandemic.
David added: “I am thrilled to receive this award from The Open University, which is a wonderful validation of volunteering with St John and the combined effect that can be achieved by a dedicated team of volunteers focusing on the best quality care for patients in the most difficult of times.”