Naval Surgeon Honoured For Achievements On Operations

A Naval Surgeon who has deployed to field hospitals in Iraq and Afghanistan five times was one of six inspirational medical professionals to be given the Barclays Women of the Year Award in London this week.  

Surgeon Commander Sarah Stapley, 46, who is also the Ministry of Defence’s only female regular orthopaedic surgeon, was recognised alongside consultant nurse Debby Edwards, trauma sister Victoria Mulleady, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist Kate Sherman, Sergeant Lauren Odell and clinical specialist occupational therapist Sarah Winters at the Women of the Year lunch at the InterContinental Hotel on Monday (17 Oct). 

The award recognised their tireless work treating injured and wounded military personnel and civilians in hospitals in the UK as well as in the field and saluted a team of outstanding, compassionate and committed women – the ‘Sister Act’ – whose hard work, determination and outstanding medical achievements have saved the lives of critically injured soldiers and given them a future.  

Sarah was last in theatre in Camp Bastion in 2009 as one of their trauma and orthopaedic surgeons. She will be going to Afghanistan early next year as Deployed Medical Director. She said: 

“It is a tremendous honour that we as a team have been recognised in this way."

"But I want people to remember that over 150 medical personnel are involved in the care of our injured, from the Role 3 Hospital at Camp Bastion to the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham and onwards to Headley Court."

"The six of us play a small part in this team."

“We are very lucky that our Ministry of Defence medical organisation maintains a very high standard."

"Over the last eight years we have increased our abilities, in particular with resuscitation techniques, to a very high degree."

"Of course working in the field presents different challenges. Each time I treat one of our casualties, I am humbled by their will to live and fight through what can only be described as catastrophic injuries.”

Sarah joined the Royal Navy in 1987 as a Medical Cadet, qualifying from the University of Glasgow in 1989. After undertaking higher specialist training in Trauma and Orthopaedics, which included a research-based higher degree in Resuscitation, Sarah accredited as a consultant in 2004.

She took up a consultant appointment with Portsmouth NHS Trust in conjunction with Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit (MDHU) Portsmouth. Since then Sarah has deployed to the Middle East five times, and has been awarded the Order of St John and Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service for her operational work.

Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, President of the Women of the Year, said:

“These six brilliant, professional and talented women represent the many more personnel who carry out such fantastic work at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham and with our forces overseas."

"This year marks the 10^th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan and Women of the Year sought to recognise the hard work, determination and outstanding medical achievements of women working in this most challenging of fields.”

Deanna Oppenheimer, vice-chair of Barclays Retail and Business Banking, presented the awards to the winners and said:

“I would like to personally congratulate all the winners of the Barclays Women of the Year award. Barclays is a proud sponsor of this award which recognises exceptional professional achievements by women."

"We aim to promote the value of gender diversity in the workplace, and ensuring public recognition for outstanding personal and professional achievements of women, helps us do that."

"So this award, and its very deserving recipients, precisely reflects the values and achievements we strive to recognise among the women in our own organisation.”

Sarah’s current additional roles include Consultant Advisor in Trauma and Orthopaedics to the Medical Director General (Royal Navy), Wessex Deanery Core Surgical Programme Director and Senior Lecturer to the Academic Department of Military Surgery and Trauma.