A CONSULTANT anaesthetist based at Wrexham Maelor Hospital has been awarded a British Empire Medal (BEM) in the King’s Birthday Honours List.

Anna Williams, 39, has been awarded her BEM for her 'services to environmentally sustainable healthcare at Wrexham Maelor Hospital'.

She chairs the hospital’s Green Group, which she founded in 2021, with its aims of delivering environmentally sustainable healthcare within the hospital community and beyond.

Her interventions have helped achieve sustainable goals by the decarbonisation of inhalers, introduction of reusable ear, nose and throat scopes, and surgical gowns and reusable sharps bins.

She has also helped planting more than 100 trees across the hospital site, and had a hand in the creation of a central biodiversity courtyard for staff use.

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The hospital is now also signed up to the international Healthcare without Harm benchmarking system for environmental sustainability.

Anna said. "When I first got the letter I thought it would be for jury duty, so it was a really nice surprise!"

"When I opened the envelope, I did feel quite embarrassed as you never really feel you deserve that sort of honour but I'm very grateful.

"I've shared the news with my immediate family who were all very proud."

Anna discovered that 98 per cent of all purchased nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the piped network was not actually reaching clinical use, instead leaking into the atmosphere.

She has also paved the way for a switch of supply mode from manifold gas to individual cylinders, saving £36,000 and the equivalent carbon dioxide as driving 1.6 million miles.