Ex-Worthing intensive care consultant awarded OBE for services to the NHS during Covid-19

A former Worthing resident and intensive care consultant, who has just been awarded an OBE for services to the NHS during the pandemic, said it had been a ‘difficult’ time but one that had shown the health service ‘at its best’.
Ganesh Suntharalingam has been awarded an OBEGanesh Suntharalingam has been awarded an OBE
Ganesh Suntharalingam has been awarded an OBE

Ganeshalingam Suntharalingam, known as Ganesh, said the last few months had been the strangest and busiest period of his 20 years working at the London North West University Healthcare trust.

Ganesh, who is also the president of the Intensive Care Society, said he was ‘shocked but delighted’ to be recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours – and said it was a privilege to receive the award as a representative of all those who had been working hard in critical care.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Ganesh, who now lives in Ealing but grew up in Worthing, was inspired to go into medicine by his late father.

Dr Murugasu Suntharalingam, known as ‘Sunny’ Lingam because of his cheerful personality – worked at Worthing Hospital and was credited with revolutionising its elderly care service.

Ganesh said his father would be ‘very proud’ of his OBE.

“It’s a shame he couldn’t see it,” he said. “I do think it’s a credit to him. He showed me what it’s like to throw yourself into service.”

His mother Devi still lives in Worthing.

Reflecting back to the outbreak of the virus earlier this year, Ganesh said staff were prepared thanks to previous planning around pandemics that had taken place.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The health service had dealt with the outbreak of swine flu back in 2009, but nothing like on the scale of Covid-19.

“This was a completely new disease which had never been seen in humans before,” he said.

“Things like​the complete lack of immunity, how it affected the body – it became very clear early on this wasn’t just flu, it affected a lot of systems in the body​in different ways.”

Concerns grew around the capacity of intensive care units, and soon all hospitals expanded their units into other areas, such as operating theatres.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Meanwhile other members of staff who did not usually work in the critical care team were brought in to help.

With no visitors permitted, it was staff on the wards who were at the bedsides of very sick patients, comforting them and holding their hands​ when their families could not.

This was all while working up to 12-hour shifts in full PPE and the ‘disconcerting’ environment of the ICU which had numerous isolation measures in place to keep patients safe.

“It was very difficult for everyone,” Ganesh said.

However, he added: “It was the NHS at its best. Everyone pulled together.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It was very stressful for a lot of people. But it was very inspiring to see the teamwork.”

As the service gears up for winter, Ganesh said there had been ‘a lot of progress in knowledge, learning and improved supplies’ when it came to dealing with the virus.

“I think people do feel more prepared,” he said.

But unlike earlier in the year, hospitals now face the challenge of coping with usual winter pressures and continuing to carry out elective surgery and other services, while also dealing with Covid-19 cases – which Ganesh said would probably rise with people spending more time in shared indoor spaces in winter.

He said: “The message to the public is that hospitals are open and very safe, and everyone with appointments should keep them and get the treatment they need: but we still need people to be following guidelines and doing everything they can to slow the spread of the virus”.

Related topics: