Celebrating Excellence: NHS Heroes in London Honored This New Year for Their Remarkable Contributions

The committed effort and devotion of personnel across London’s NHS have been acknowledged in this year’s New Year Honours, with a sickle cell community matron, neurosurgeon, and prominent diabetes researcher honored alongside other healthcare professionals in the city.

Healthcare workers in London have been awarded honors for their dedication to health and equality, concluding a year where the NHS faced unprecedented demands but also achieved record treatment numbers as staff strive to further reduce wait times in 2025.

Caroline Clarke, Regional Director for the NHS in London, remarked:

“All personnel in London have truly gone above and beyond this year, from caring for patients in our hospitals and communities to spearheading critical research and innovation.

“It is wonderful to see the wide range of outstanding work our staff engaged in acknowledged through this year’s honors, and I want to commend everyone receiving this well-deserved distinction for their relentless dedication to the NHS and their daily efforts to safeguard and enhance the health of all Londoners.”

NHS personnel in London have been honored for their contributions across various healthcare services, including nursing, medicine, and children’s health, while others have been recognized for their careers that have significantly improved the care provided by the NHS—both for their individual patients and nationally as trendsetters in their domains.

The honorees include:

DBE: Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Marie Gabriel, Chair of NHS North East London, has been appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). This honor acknowledges her commitment, throughout her 45-year career and voluntary efforts, to health and equity.

Dame Marie is the founding Chair of NHS North East London Integrated Care Board. In this capacity, she serves on the Mayor of London’s Health Board and co-chairs the London People Board. In 2020, she became the founding Chair of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, leading a board of distinguished experts focused on combating racial bias in health and care.

Dame Marie stated: “I am grateful to receive this honor and to all those who contributed to my nomination. I recognize this truly reflects the achievements and efforts of the organizations, communities, and individuals with whom I collaborate.

“I am particularly glad that it underscores the significance of the ongoing endeavor we pursue to advance equity and enhance health outcomes.

“Residents of north east London deserve access to high-quality health and care services, regardless of where they reside, and I will persist in diligently working to elevate the profile of our ambitious and diverse communities, ensuring we deliver better health outcomes.”

Also awarded a DBE was Professor Stephanie Amiel, Emeritus Professor of Diabetes Research at King’s College London and Consultant at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, for her services to individuals living with diabetes.

She expressed: “I am immensely proud of how the clinical team at King’s collaborates to provide exceptional care to individuals with diabetes; it is a true team effort, spanning disciplines within the diabetes group and including collaboration with professionals from other clinical specialties.

“As a unified team, we were— and continue to be— among the early adopters of technology for individuals with type 1 diabetes, enhancing the quality of life for patients living with this condition.

“I take great pride in our successes regarding pregnant women with type 1 diabetes. Alongside our patients, our own team, and the obstetric/midwifery team, we maintained strict glucose management from the beginning, and if this was not being effectively managed at home by our patients, we would temporarily bring them into the hospital. According to a clinical audit, our type 1 diabetes patients experienced similar outcomes to women without diabetes, which was a notable accomplishment.”

OBE: Officer of the Order of the British Empire

Professor Safa Taha Al-Sarraj, Head of Clinical Neuropathology at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, has been recognized for her contributions to Medicine, particularly in Neuropathology (Greater London).

MBE: Members of the Order of the British Empire

Professor Keyoumars Ashkan, Consultant Neurosurgeon at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, has been awarded an MBE for his contributions to neurosurgery. Prof Ashkan performed surgery on Dagmar Turner to extract a brain tumor while she played her violin throughout the procedure, enabling the surgical team to preserve her musical skills and finesse. This innovative method assisted Prof Ashkan and his team in avoiding damage to the brain area responsible for coordination and manual movements.

Ms Matty Asante-Owusu, Sickle Cell Community Matron at the Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Centre of the Whittington Health NHS Trust, received an MBE for her services to nursing. She was appointed as the first community nurse matron for sickle cell within the NHS. She has played an essential role in assisting individuals with sickle cell and thalassaemia in maintaining their health and staying out of hospitals.

Professor Ajay Jaikishore Vora, former Consultant Paediatric Haematologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, has been honored for his services to Childhood Leukaemia (Greater London).

Mr Edwin Charinge Ndlovu, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy Chief Executive of East London NHS Foundation Trust, has been recognized for his contributions to the NHS and Nursing (Kent).

King’s Ambulance Medal (KAM) for distinguished service

Darren Frank Farmer, Director of Ambulance Operations at London Ambulance Service.