Medic John flying high to aid others
Crieff man hailed as Leader of theYear
A Perthshire paramedic has taken the top honour at the annual Scottish Health Awards.
Crieff’s John Pritchard was named Leader of the Year at a prestigious ceremony at Edinburgh’s Corn Exchange on Thursday last week.
The award recognises those who are outstanding in the work they do to make change happen and their efforts with others to enhance the delivery of care.
John, who is the paramedic team leader with the locallybased Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA), was up against professionals from across the health sector.
He joined the Scottish Ambulance Service in 1995 and was awarded an MBE in the 2012 New Year’s Honours List. He is also a director of the British Association of Immediate Care Scotland and a BASICS responder in Perthshire. The dedicated paramedic began working with SCAA in May 2013, when the air ambulance first took to the skies.
In his acceptance speech, John thanked the whole team at SCAA – describing them as going above and beyond to provide an exceptional level of care and support to patients.
He also praised the working environment and the accessibility of the inspirational charity which calls Scone Aerodrome home.
A delighted John admitted: “I am overwhelmed by it all.
“It was fantastic to get the nomination but to then go on and win it is great for the charity air ambulance. I had a really warm reception when I went up to receive the award.”
John confessed that when he first took up his role with SCAA he didn’t know how things would go.
But support for the charity air ambulance has been immense, with funders and the people of Scotland getting behind the vital service. Pritchard Crieff’s John
As well as leading the paramedic team, John’s role also involves integrating the charity air ambulance with the ambulance service and further afield with health boards and other emergency services.
He added: “It is the only charity air ambulance in Scotland. When I first started we only had six months of funding but to see how the charity has evolved is great. It now has 12 hour shifts; we’ve taken on an extra member of staff and the aircraft goes all over Scotland.”
Andy Moir, Scottish Ambulance Service head of air ambulance services, said: “It is fantastic to see John’s hard work, dedication and leadership recognised.
“As well as his commitment to the delivery of the highest possible level of patient care, both as part of his day job and in a voluntary capacity, John works tirelessly to support the close working relationship between the Scottish Air Ambulance Service and SCAA – and the important role both play in keeping people safe across Scotland.”