A CRITICAL care professional from Crowthorne says he feels “extremely honoured” after being awarded an MBE.
Suman Raj Shrestha, a professional lead at the Royal College of Nursing and nurse consultant in critical care at the Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, received the award as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
He is being recognised for services to critical care nursing.
Mr Shrestha said: “It was a complete surprise. I was not aware that I was nominated for the award.
“I feel extremely honoured and privileged.”
Mr Shrestha came to England in the 1990’s as a male nurse and has become a recognised role model, leading national practice developments in the UK and Nepal.
He then became the first regional advanced critical care practitioner in intensive care at the Frimley Park Hospital and developed the clinical nurse outreach teams.
As a consultant to the National Clinical Centre for Clinical Excellence he has used his expertise to develop national guidance on intravenous therapy and sepsis care, completing IV guidance for the Royal College of Nursing in 2016.
In 2020, he became highly influential in the development of critical care across Frimley Park, moving the hospital from special measures to being rated as outstanding by CQC.
Mr Shrestha has also provided supervision, teaching and support to all grades of nursing staff, doctors and other health professionals and is a visiting lecturer at the University of Brighton on the intensive care course.
Although the MBE recognises his career as an individual he insists a large part of his success is thanks to his friends, family and colleagues.
He said: “I have been working in critical care within the NHS for 21 years and the last two years has been really challenging due to pandemic.
“It feels great to receive the recognition for all the work and contributions that I have made within critical care.
“However, I must stress that I couldn’t have done this without the support of my family, friends and colleagues.”
Despite receiving the letter notifying him of the honour a few weeks ago, at the time of writing Mr Shrestha is yet to tell his family.
“The letter is sent in strict confidence so I have yet to inform them – I can’t wait to tell them,” he said.
He added: “I am sure they will be very happy for me.
“My Dad is a retired Gurkha officer and served in the British Army and as a head clerk for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gurkha Rifles (7GR).
“I am sure he will be happy for me.”
When asked how he plans to celebrate he said: “I am sure there will be lots of formal and informal celebrations.
“But I really want to dedicate the award to my family, friends and all my colleagues who have guided and supported me over the years to become who I am today.
“I have many more ambitions to progress my career focusing on improving healthcare for patients within the NHS, nationally and internationally.
“The honour is such a boost and encouragement which will no doubt help me to further my work and fulfil those ambitions.”
