Dr Nigel Turner awarded Dutch Royal Honour

Dr Nigel Turner (OB 1967-1978) has been appointed Officer in the Order of Oranje-Nassau for his exceptional contributions to medical education in paediatric emergency medicine and the recognition of child abuse, and to fostering international relations in paediatric anaesthesiology. This distinction was awarded by the Dutch Royal House in recognition of his work with the Dutch Foundation for the Emergency Medical Care of Children (known by the Dutch abbreviation SHK) and the European Society for Paediatric Anaesthesiology, both of which he helped to set up and subsequently led, as well as work with the Dutch and European Resuscitation Councils (ERC). For these activities he had also been appointed Honorary Member of ESPA and Fellow of the ERC.

“I was extremely honoured to receive this decoration, especially as it is at such a high level. I was particularly surprized, not only because the Dutch tradition is that the recipient only finds out about the decoration at the moment it is awarded, but also because I didn’t think I was doing anything other than what we all learned to do at Brentwood Prep – working to the best of our ability to try to improve the lives of those around us.”

After leaving Brentwood, Nigel studied medicine and specialised in anaesthesiology, later focusing exclusively on paediatric anaesthesiology, primarily for children with heart conditions. During a clinical attachment in Groningen he fell in love with the Netherlands and with his future wife and relocated there permanently, later becoming a naturalized Dutch citizen.

His passion is teaching and he holds both a master’s degree and a PhD in education. In 1997, he co-founded the SHK which has grown into a highly respected national institution. Under his leadership the SHK has led to standardization of the care of seriously ill children and to a more systematic approach to suspected child abuse in the Netherlands. He has also contributed to the development of national and international resuscitation guidelines for children and to improving international relations amongst European anaesthesiologists. All
of these activities were acknowledged during the award ceremony which took place at the
SHK-training centre near Tilburg.

The Order of Oranje-Nassau is the largest chivalric order in the Netherlands and the high distinction of Officer is awarded to someone who has performed work of exceptional value to society.

“I am also very grateful to every member of all of the great teams I have participated in or led on all these projects. Without teamwork one can achieve nothing. Working together we were able to make a real change.”