AN ESNEFT team were crucial in stopping the spread of the deadly hantavirus after an outbreak linked to a Dutch cruise ship caused several deaths and infections.
Led by deputy chief nurse Anne Rutland and running against the clock, our trained staff fitted more than 50 paratroopers over four days to drop in essential medical supplies and oxygen to British overseas territory, Tristan Da Cunha.
The mission was deployed after a British national returned to his home on the island with the suspected virus and was isolated with a fever, having left the MV Hondius cruise ship in mid-April.
To make matters worse, members of 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team Colchester were only given a four-hour window in which to drop from 5000 metres onto the island. Had they missed the window, they would have had to wait another week which could have proved fatal for the man and the island’s residents.
Major Nina Murphy (third right) with, from left, Jackie Tatum, Abigail Knight, Anne Rutland, Kate Gloess and Rachel Barker.
Anne said: “Because we have a good relationship with the squadron we were asked to help. We got it done – and everyone played their part.”
The island was running out of oxygen, and the nearest port was 12 hours away by road, while the Falkland Islands were eight to 12 hours away.
Anne said: “There was no landing strip, just two flat pieces of land and the parachutists were required to land there.
“Had the operation not been carried out then we were risking eight lives while that man could have possibly died.
“It was the first ever humanitarian military parachute drop on the island, and I am really humbled by my team that they were
To recognise their efforts the team were invited to a stakeholder day by the squadron, at Colchester Barracks, where they were presented with a surprise, framed letter of thanks.
Anne, who also called on ESNEFT’s head of clinical procurement Liam Horkan, during his holiday in Lanzarote, to source more FFP3 masks when the team was running short, said: “It made me cry and I am proud we were recognised – I was presented with the award – but this would not have happened without the dedication of the team and their willingness to work at extremely short notice to help.
“If it wasn’t for my colleague Lisa-Marie Woods having that relationship with the squadron in the first place we wouldn’t have been contacted.
“It’s one of the best moments of my career.”
RAF Movers as they are given the direction to dispatch one of the pallets of medical supplies.
The MV Hondius ship made international headlines in April when the suspected virus was found, resulting in several deaths and infections.
Anne said: “The ship was highly contagious. It was a closed environment and because it was so cold where the ship was, the guests tended to stay on board.
“The virus is not normally transmitted between humans, but it was like they were in a petri dish, there was such close contact. There was nowhere to go.”
Brigadier Ed Cartwright, Commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, said in the letter: “I am grateful for the outstanding support provided by colleagues across East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust in supporting the timely preparation of those personnel who deployed to Tristan Da Cunha to provide lifesaving aid to patients and health personnel at need in the most remove British Overseas Territory.
16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team Colchester drop into Tristan Da Cunha
“The professionalism, flexibility and discretion shown at extremely short notice were instrumental in ensuring that our personnel were appropriately equipped and prepared for deployment into a complex and potentially hazardous environment.
“Your team’s delivery of respiratory fit testing at pace, alongside the swift coordination and provision of critical FFP3 equipment from across multiple NHS sites, made a direct and significant contribution to operational readiness.”
The ESNEFT fit-testing team was made up of Jackie Tatum, Abigail Knight, Anne Rutland, Kate Gloess, Rachel Barker and Lisa-Marie Woods.