A husband-and-wife team who have made an extraordinary contribution to emergency care in Leicester and beyond have announced their retirement from the NHS.
Emergency medicine consultants, Professor Tim Coats and Dr Ffion Davies joined UHL together as a newly-married couple in 2003, having met while working at the Royal London Hospital. Dr Davies went on to establish UHL’s paediatric emergency department and a programme for multi-professional education, while Professor Coats’ academic work at the University of Leicester has helped to develop the field of emergency medicine over the past two decades.
Dr Davies said: “It’s been a rewarding 23 years at UHL. We have achieved very high standards of patient care, and the teamwork is second-to-none. There are lots of travels planned for our retirement, and more time for music, gardening and friends.”
Professor Coats added: “I first worked in the emergency department in Leicester in 1987, and well remember sitting next to the grandfather clock in the Victoria building, waiting for my first ever job interview. Life came full circle, as I again passed the grandfather clock after finishing my last shift at the ED.”
Dr Davies is an honorary senior lecturer at the University of Leicester, and the immediate past president of the International Federation for Emergency Medicine. She will carry on her international work following retirement from UHL, while also continuing to work on the fourth edition of her textbook, Emergency Care of Minor Trauma in Children, and the e-learning website www.spottingthesickchild.com.
Professor Coats is a past chair of the College of Emergency Medicine Research Committee, the NIHR National Specialist Group for Injuries and Emergencies, and the Trauma Audit and Research Network. In 2022, he became a NIHR senior investigator, with research interests including changes in coagulation following major trauma, artificial intelligence in healthcare ‘big data’ applications, and patient reported outcomes after major trauma.
Colleagues gathered to celebrate the couple’s achievements at a farewell event at the Leicester Royal Infirmary.
Dr Scott Knapp, Head of Service for Adult Emergency Medicine, said: “Tim and Ffion have had very busy and distinguished careers, and are internationally renowned. Their contribution has been extraordinary, and they will be greatly missed.”