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Royal Navy nurse who has fought on the front line against Covid-19 has been recognised in the New Year Honours List.
Chief Petty Officer Naval Nurse Andrew Cooper has been praised for his efforts testing hundreds of sailors on aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, as well as for his work in an NHS hospital’s emergency department.
He is among nearly two dozen personnel who have been honoured for their efforts, marking their hard work and commitment while on operations both at home in the UK and abroad.
Mr Cooper, from Eastbourne in East Sussex, becomes an Associate of the Royal Red Cross.
The 36-year-old said: “I couldn’t believe it at first. It will be exciting when I can let people know, having to hold off since finding out has been tough.
“I cannot wait to tell them.”
He trained to be a nurse from 2008 and has served in hospitals around the UK as well as on HMS Queen Elizabeth.
/ PA )Mr Cooper has played a pivotal role in the fight against coronavirus, first during his time on HMS Queen Elizabeth in April.
With the aircraft carrier due to deploy for Fleet Operational Sea Training, he had to come up with a system to test all 800 of her sailors – a feat he then repeated in September ahead of F-35 Lightning jets trials on the ship.
Away from HMS Queen Elizabeth, he showed his expertise and leadership in the emergency department of Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, leading NHS and military colleagues in the midst of the Covid pandemic.
Using his military background, he helped set up additional resuscitation rooms at short notice and helped provide extra training for junior staff in assisted intubation and the use of non-invasive ventilation – medical care often required for coronavirus patients.
He also helped colleagues on working in full personal protective equipment (PPE) and led the redesign of the hospital’s emergency department.
Mr Cooper said: “It is quite unique that I was able to use my skills both on a carrier like Queen Elizabeth and on the front line of the NHS. But I couldn’t have done it by myself. None of it would have happened if it wasn’t for the whole team.”
He joined the Royal Navy as an aircraft handler in 2004. He trained to be a nurse from 2008 and has served in hospitals around the UK as well as on HMS Queen Elizabeth.
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