Basildon Hospital COVID-19 researcher wins Parliamentary award
A medical researcher at Basildon Hospital has been given a lifetime achievement award.
Major Mark Vertue has been chosen as the East Regional Winner in The Lifetime Achievement Award category in the NHS Parliamentary Awards.
This is an annual competition where MPs nominate local heroes from the NHS in recognition of the vital work they do for our communities. Mark was nominated by Sir David Amess, the MP for Southend West.
The Clinical Research Nurse works with specialist doctors from Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust to establish research studies into COVID-19 treatments.
While he has been selected as the winner for the East of England, Mark has also been short-listed for the national Lifetime Achievement prize. An awards ceremony will take place in Parliament next summer.
Mark said: “I am surprised and honoured to have won. I have worked across Essex and the world for over 40 years, and I am delighted to have been chosen at such a challenging time for us all. I would like to thank Sir David Amess for the nomination.”
Sir David Amess MP said: “I am so pleased that Mark has been successful in winning The Lifetime Achievement Award for the region. Throughout his career he has demonstrated exemplary care to patients at Southend and Basildon hospitals, and is now leading efforts to combat COVID-19 with the rollout of a vaccine in Essex. I wish him the best in the national stage of the awards process.”
Clare Panniker, Chief Executive of Mid and South Essex Foundation Trust, said: “Mark has been instrumental in our response to COVID-19, helping to set up crucial research studies that will have already saved lives.
He is now leading the next stage of this fight by leading on the COVID-19 vaccine trials. This is a fantastic recognition of the excellent work of him and his team at the Trust.”
Mark has worked in nursing and research for more than 40 years in a career spanning the NHS, the military and academia.
Having qualified as a nurse, he studied trauma treatments during the Troubles in Northern Ireland and used these experiences to improve services for Southend’s seriously injured.
He was a Head of Department and lectured at Anglia Ruskin University, leading modules on critical care, while he has also served in the Territorial Army, volunteering to help set up the first ever frontline field hospital during the Iraq conflict in 2003.