Consultant gets award for life-saving surgery in Ethiopia

Mr Tony Clayson (right) seeing patients and doing ward rounds with a colleague from the Orthopaedic Unit in Hawassa

Mr Tony Clayson, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at BMI The Highfield Hospital, Rochdale, is being honoured by Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland’s Champions of Change award for the outstanding volunteering and mentoring work he does in Ethiopia.

Poor outcomes and sometimes amputations are common as medical teams do not always understand fully how best to treat severe injuries and sterility of all instruments used has been almost non-existent so the chance of secondary infection following surgery has been very high. Trauma is currently a major cause of death and disability in Africa with ever increasing road traffic development and building programmes but little education in road safety.

Mr Clayson's overseas work, in establishing and leading the ‘Developing Sustainable Orthopaedic Trauma Services in Africa’ project supported by Rotary, has changed the lives of the medical and nursing staff in Hawassa Hospital, Southern Ethiopia through training and as a result has saved the lives of many patients and improved outcomes following surgery.

They have made four visits over the past 18 months and have taken instruments and other essential equipment enabling them to perform operations whilst training and mentoring hospital staff including surgeons, anaesthetists and nursing staff in all aspects of trauma care.

The accompanying UK NHS staff members have benefitted by working in conditions far removed from their normal environment and broadening their own individual skill levels and the collaborative working of all team members will continue to result in significant sustainable change in Ethiopian trauma services.

Mr Clayson has led teams of surgeons, physiotherapists and critical care staff from the UK and Perth, Australia to Hawassa in Southern Ethiopia.

The project is backed by Worsley Rotary and World Orthopaedic Concern UK and has resulted in the establishment of a new charity NOTAA, the Northwest Orthopaedic and Trauma Alliance for Africa (www.nota4africa.org.uk) which envisages staff from trauma units across North West England getting involved as the project continues. In just under two years, over 2,500 major operations have been carried out locally in this newly established trauma unit in Hawassa.

The awards ceremony will take place in Cardiff, hosted by the Lord Mayor of Cardiff at Cardiff City Hall in May 2018 where Mr Clayson will receive his Champions of Change award, with other Rotarians from across the country.  Cardiff is significant as in 2018 marks 100 years of Rotary in Wales.

Mr Clayson said: “I feel honoured to receive such a prestigious award and very grateful for all the help and support I have received from my work colleagues at WWL, along with colleagues from other Trusts in the North West and my friends in Worsley Rotary.”

Denis Spiller, President of Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland, commented: “The selfless and truly life-changing impact of our champions really demonstrate that we all make a difference.

"With Rotary, it just takes an idea and, with the help of our highly connected organisation, that idea becomes a reality with unending support from across the globe.

"Tony’s work has saved so many lives in Africa. He is a very worthy recipient of a Rotary Champions of Change award.”

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