Published on: 29 December 2023
A doctor who is helping the NHS be a safer place for patients by making it a better place to work has been recognised in the King’s New Year’s Honours 2024.
Consultant Urologist Alice Hartley specialises in renal and prostate cancer care and is based at Sunderland Royal Hospital.
Today she has been announced as the recipient of a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). This is in recognition of her pioneering work to deal with bullying and undermining in surgery.
Alice joined South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust in January and has been hailed for her role in its Urology Team, which is acknowledged as one of the best in the country.
Her MBE comes in the wake of the prestigious Hunter Doig Medal from the Royal College of Surgeons of
Edinburgh (RCSEd) in recognition of her contribution to excellence in surgery, specifically career potential and ambition.
It also noted her high standards of good surgical practice, clinical excellence, ongoing contribution to education and training, clinically-based research and audit and laboratory research.
She was also recently successful in becoming a Clinical Champion for Prostate Cancer UK.
The programme is the charity’s flagship improvement programme to identify future clinical leaders so they can help deliver improvements to care.
Alice started her medical career with the RAF, leaving so she could fulfil her ambitions to become a surgeon.
She trained King’s College London followed by jobs at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, The Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, Gartnavel General Hospital and the Western General Hospital in Glasgow, Ayr Infirmary and Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle.
Her work as chair of the RSCEd’s Anti Undermining and Bullying Campaign began in 2016 and it runs under the hashtag #letsremoveit.
It works to address the issue in surgery, which in turn impacts on performance and patient safety. It not only empowers people to address such behaviour, but aims to help people realise their own tone, language and actions can make others feel upset and overshadow their work.
Alongside other members of the college and as part of the wider project, she has helped set up a course looking at how to challenge conflict and to help teach people skills with which they can speak up.
This is available to Trusts across the country from the spring. Pilot sessions have already run for her own colleagues at STSFT.
In addition to her clinical work and role in helping the department run, Alice has been among a group of Urology staff to launch 5K Your Way.
It is a walking and running meet up for people who have been effected by cancer and encourages them to keep fit.
Organised by the charity Move Against Cancer, there are several linked parkruns across the UK. Alice and the team have set this up at Silksworth in Sunderland. It is hosted on the last Saturday of the month.
Away from work, she is a mum-of-four and is married to Simon Ellis, a Consultant in Infectious Diseases who is based at Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital.
Her MBE has been awarded to her in her married name.
She said:
"When I found out about the MBE I was completely shocked. I’ve had the last six weeks of being anonymous because it has to be kept a secret and I’ve quite enjoyed knowing without it being public.
"I’m struggling a bit to come to terms with the news, but I want to thank everyone who has helped in this work and especially my husband, who has been a great help when I’ve needed to be in Edinburgh or had work to focus on. I do feel very honoured, but aware there are a huge number of deserving candidates.
"This campaign really has been a team effort, so I want to use this as a chance to celebrate the role of everyone who has been involved it in and take it as an opportunity to highlight our work.
"I want to use this to raise awareness and let others who work in surgery the campaign is there. We’ll be rolling out this one-day course to other Trusts so it can make a difference.
"We know from the NHS Staff Survey that at least one in five people in surgery witness bullying, which means that high numbers of people are likely to be responsible for it. We need to look at this issue and make a change."
The Trust’s Chief Executive Ken Bremner – himself awarded an MBE in 2018 in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his services to NHS leadership – said:
"This is wonderful news for Alice, our Urology team and for our Trust.
"Alice has already done a remarkable amount in her short time with us as a consultant and is another shining example of why our Urology team is now one of the best in the country.
"Her work with the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and the campaign she has worked on is right to be praised.
"I hope she enjoys her day at the palace."
Stuart McCracken is Clinical Director and also a Consultant Urological Surgeon.
He said:
"Alice only started with us as a Consultant Urological Surgeon in January this year, but is already a vital member of the team.
"She helps me enormously with the running of Urology Department, helping to maintain the lovely atmosphere we have here and always looking to promote better workplace behaviour because of the impact we all know it has on patient safety and outcomes.
"I’m very proud of her and everything she has achieved so far and the MBE is richly deserved."
