‘I am proud of what we do’
Dr Tasha Newton, 45, is a consultant anaesthetist and trauma director at William Harvey Hospital. She lives in Ashford, Kent, with her husband Chris, 49, and their children William, nine, and Rupert, seven. As the cameras swivelled across the hospital ward, I was barely aware of them or the gaggle of directors and crew behind them. A young man called Frazer had just been airlifted to the William Harvey
Hospital, and he was on a hospital bed in front of me. His life was in our hands.
After falling 30ft from a cliff, the 17-year-old couldn’t move – he was paralysed and it fell to me to give him and his mum the devastating diagnosis. Beyond anything, he was terrified after experiencing a life-changing injury.
‘Even though you have damaged your spine, there is a whole network of specialists who will work to help you to regain your independence,’ I explained to him, as the cameras continued to film this crucial moment.
DOCTOR DESIRE
Although it might sound like a fictional drama on TV, this is my job.
I’ve always wanted to be a doctor, announcing it to all who would listen at the age of six. I graduated from St Mary’s Medical School at Imperial College London in 2002, and the following year, I began specialising in anaesthetics.
In 2005, I was one of many who were called into A&E after the 7/7 bombings. At St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, we treated people caught up in the terrorist attack at Edgware Road. I led the trauma team and received the very
‘EVERY PATIENT IS DIFFERENT’
first patient, who was the worst injured surviving patient. He lost both his legs, an eye and ear and remained in hospital for a year. Dealing with patients with such traumatic injuries is harrowing yet so rewarding, especially if you and your team can save a life and a family from grief.
At the end of a busy shift, my husband Chris is always there to listen to my day as I walk through our front door. It’s impossible to leave work at work all the time.
I was with Air Ambulance Kent, Surrey and Sussex, working with the Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) for four years, too, flying out to injured patients across the counties and beyond, then I joined William Harvey in 2013.
By now, Chris and I had a six-month-old son, and in 2015, our second son was born. Juggling motherhood along with an extremely demanding job wasn’t easy, but I knew I couldn’t give up my work. At William Harvey, I became major trauma director and deputy clinical director of the trauma network covering southeast London, Kent and Medway, overseeing the entire trauma network across the South East. The London Major Trauma System was set up 10 years ago, and connects smaller hospitals in the South East to major ones in the capital, allowing severely injured patients to be treated by a network of specialist doctors and teams. When I was a junior doctor, I would see patients die while waiting for specialists from bigger hospitals to accept them. The Trauma System co-ordinates the services and means patients who need extra care will be automatically transferred to larger hospitals with better infrastructure and resources, without wasting any valuable time. It’s a vital service and I was thrilled when we were approached about the documentary, Emergency 21. It was a great opportunity to showcase what we do on a daily basis. As well as Frazer, you’ll watch me treat Leyton, 18, who despite being involved in a serious moped accident was still cracking jokes and making us laugh.
And that’s why I love my job so much – the people we meet every single day. Every patient is different and brings a new challenge for our team, but the London Major Trauma System is ready to act to save lives.
✣ Emergency 21 airs Mondaythursday at 9pm from 28 February on C4 and All4.