9 October 2020
University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust is proud to share the news that Ramesh Arasaradnam, Professor of Gastroenterology, has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s honours list.
Professor Arasaradnam, an honorary clinical academic at the Universities of Warwick, Coventry and Leicester, is set to receive the Order of the British Empire for his dedication to patient care, education and clinical research during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Publication of the Queen’s Birthday Honours was delayed until this weekend in order to allow time to honour hundreds of frontline workers and community heroes who played a key role in the pandemic response.
Professor Arasaradnam said: "I am hugely shocked and massively proud to be bestowed with such an honour.
"I am still trying to digest the news and am delighted to have received national recognition for our work to help protect the greater good of the nation.
"It is very much a team effort in healthcare and I am hugely grateful to all of my colleagues for their support during the COVID-19 pandemic."
Professor Arasaradnam, who has been working at UHCW NHS Trust since 2007, specialises in gut physiology, inflammatory and cancer biology.
He is also chair for the Research Committee of the British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) to determine national research strategies for the specialty.
Professor Kiran Patel, Chief Medical Officer and Interim Chief Executive at UHCW NHS Trust, said: “We are incredibly proud of all our staff and the way that they continuously go above and beyond for others.
“Professor Arasaradnam embodies this ethos and his expertise has made a hugely positive difference to how patients with COVID-19 are cared for not only at UHCW but on a far wider scale.
“We are thrilled that his devotion to education and research, which is helping to save lives and ensure that the people of Coventry and Warwickshire continue to receive world class care, has been recognised in this way.”
Professor Arasaradnam is an honorary clinical academic at Warwick Medical School at the University of Warwick, where he has collaborated on research and acts as a Clinical Personal Tutor to students while supervising postgraduate students.
Professor Sudhesh Kumar OBE, Dean of Warwick Medical School, said: “We are delighted that Professor Arasaradnam has been honoured for not only his exemplary work during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also his work in research and education.
“Not only has the impact of his work been felt at a national level, he has made a significant contribution to Warwick Medical School through both his research and his teaching, especially in in the field of gastroenterology.”
An OBE is awarded for having a major local role in any activity, including people whose work has made them known nationally in their chosen area.
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON BLOOD TESTING DUE TO COVID-19
Shielding Patients in very high risk for COVID Group
All people who have been identified as very high risk (requiring shielding) for COVID are in the process of being contacted by their clinician regarding their ongoing care. If you require a blood test whilst shielding as part of your care, appointment details including when and where your blood test will be carried out will be sent to you via a text message from SwiftQueue who manage our blood test bookings.
If you have regular blood tests and have been asked to have these, please ensure you have blood forms at home available; if you haven’t please contact your specialty to have some sent to you in advance of your blood tests.
Older People and Vulnerable Adults
People who are in the groups identified by the government as higher risk e.g are over 70 or receive a yearly flu jab, but are not in the very high risk (requiring shielding) group, can attend our normal blood test clinics. The blood test clinics and waiting areas have been adapted so that social distancing can be maintained.
Please check the locations on the map below.
Click on the map for information about phlebotomy clinics in Coventry. You can book an appointment online at the locations in red.
Please book an appointment before attending for a blood test. Click on the ‘Book Online’ button above. Booking an appointment helps patients, their carers and family members to plan their hospital visit better, helping to reduce clinic waiting times and enabling patients to be seen much more quickly.
Location: Outpatients Department, on the ground floor. Opening hours: 8am-4.45pm, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).
Children under 16 years old will need to book online here.
Please book an appointment before attending for a blood test, click on the ‘Book Online’ button above. Patients from Rugby and the surrounding areas are able to access the Friends Blood Taking Unit at the Hospital of St Cross.
Referrals for blood tests can be from GP's, practice nurses or from hospital consultants. Patients are also able to leave other samples, such as urine, which have been collected at home, at the hospital's Pathology Reception.
Location: Near Brookfield House, just off North Road - map here. Opening hours: The blood taking clinic sessions for adults and children are listed below:
Monday -Friday 7am-4:45pm Appointment only
Wednesday Evening 5pm-7pm Suspended due to COVID
Saturday Morning 7am-10pm Suspended due to COVID
April 2020 NEW - This Clinic is now by appointment. Please book an appointment before attending for a blood test. Click on the ‘Book Online’ button above.
Address: Stoney Stanton Road, Coventry CV1 4FS Location: Access is via the main doors, the Phlebotomy team are in Area A. Opening hours: Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays). 8am–4.45pm
Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT)
Specialist Tests - There are a small number of specialist tests where blood needs to be taken on a hospital site as the sample must be transferred to the laboratory rapidly for the test to be undertaken. Click here for a list of these specialist tests and to find out more.