“I’m literally blown away" - Portsmouth surgeon "overwhelmed" after being awarded OBE in King's Birthday Honours

A Portsmouth surgeon has revealed how he was “blown away” by the news that he would be awarded an OBE.

Professor Peter Brennan, an NHS consultant oral and maxillofacial surgeon at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU), was named in the King’s Birthday Honours for his outstanding contribution to surgery and improving patient care.

Professor Peter Brennan, n NHS Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU) has been awarded an OBE in the King’s Birthday Honoursplaceholder image
Professor Peter Brennan, n NHS Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU) has been awarded an OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours | PHU

It was surreal experience for Peter when he discovered the letter on his desk. He said: “After being away for a few days, I came into work to find a letter on my desk with ‘On His Majesty’s Service’ Cabinet Office on the envelope. I could see the words ‘Ceremonial Officer’ and literally started shaking.

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“When I read the letter, I was dumbfounded and overwhelmed. I’m literally blown away by the news and it’s the most extra-ordinary thing that has ever happened in my career.”

Peter has worked at PHU since 2003 where he specialises in head and neck cancer surgery. It is not the first time that his work has been recognised - in 2022 he was awarded the Silver Scalpel Awards, the highest accolade for training across all ten UK surgical specialities.

Penny Emerit, chief executive of Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust and Isle of Wight NHS Trust said: “We are incredibly proud of Peter and the work he does not only here at Portsmouth but across the wider NHS.

“He thoroughly deserves this recognition for his commitment and dedication to improve patient safety and outcomes. Congratulations Peter.”

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Peter has dedicated his career to improving patient outcomes, including receiving a PhD for his research into applying human factors to improve patient safety, as well as providing training and education across the NHS and abroad.

Peter added: “I want the public to know that there are so many of us in healthcare as well as experts in patient safety and other disciplines, doing all we can to make the NHS safer. As humans we are all fallible and make errors and mistakes on a regular basis in both work and our personal lives.

“It is a ‘normal’ part of being human, and sadly error cannot be entirely prevented, but we can do things to minimise it. This has been the basis of my work over the last 15 years.

“I sincerely hope that this honour will help to further raise awareness and we will all find ways to be more proactive in leading culture change to improve patient safety still further.”

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