His Majesty King Charles III honours Best Doctor at the Who Cares Wins Awards

On 24th November 2022

Categories: 2022

On Tuesday night NHS Charities Together was the proud charity partner of The Sun’s Who Cares Wins Awards. As the national, independent, charity caring for the NHS, we are thrilled to be part of this incredible event, which gives the nation a much-needed chance to celebrate the health and care workers across the UK who do so much for us.

One of the very deserving winners was the remarkable Dr Freda Newlands, who was presented with the Best Doctor Award by none other than King Charles III, in a surprise meeting.

Dr Freda said:

“It was totally extraordinary. I was completely taken in by The Sun’s ruse to get me there, I must say! I was just thrilled to have a tour of this lovely house. I didn’t dream I would meet His Majesty.

“This will be such a special memory and I kept it a secret that I met His Majesty even from my children Alice and Douglas, because they were coming with me to the awards, and I wanted them to have the surprise too when the video was shown!”

The 62-year-old mum-of-two, from Dumfries and Galloway in Scotland, is an emergency medicine specialist, who most recently bravely spent two months in Ukraine treating victims of the war. Her first overseas post was in 2014, when she was posted on the northern Jordan border, which continued with posts in Bhutan and Gaza. In 2017, she treated patients during a life-threatening diphtheria outbreak in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh.

Her inspiring efforts and dedication led her to be nominated for the Best Doctor award by her colleague Richard Dear, who said:

“Someone who takes these risks, and is this selfless, kind and giving, deserves every accolade and credit for her dedication to both the UK health service and humanitarian response.”

The annual Who Cares Wins awards were set up in 2017 as a way for readers to celebrate their NHS and healthcare heroes, after being pioneered by The Sun’s late Health Editor Christina Newbury. This is the second year running that NHS Charities Together was the proud charity partner.

*A host of celebrities attended the event alongside the award nominees*

Ellie Orton OBE, Chief Executive of NHS Charities Together, said:

“It was an honour to be part of the Who Cares Wins Awards again this year, and fantastic to see our health and care workforce receiving the recognition they deserve. Hearing the stories of extraordinary individuals like Dr Freda is a joy.

“Everyone has a reason to be thankful to the NHS, and the Who Cares Wins Awards are an amazing platform to celebrate the people behind it, who go so far above and beyond to care for us all. We are so proud to a part of this special event and can’t wait for it to be shared on screens across the nation this weekend.”

The full list of categories at the Awards are: