A DISTRICT hospital chief says he is proud of the “sterling reaction” by healthcare workers to the coronavirus pandemic.

Brendan Brown, chief executive of Airedale NHS Hospital Foundation Trust and Partnership Lead for the Airedale, Wharfedale and Craven Partnership, said: “Covid has enabled us to see the best and worst of times.

“There have been some real tragedies, of course. No-one has ever faced something of this magnitude before, but it’s also brought out the best in people and I think many have gone above and beyond, both in their personal and professional lives.

Mr Brown, 50, who is an Honorary Professor of the University of Bradford, added: “It has been a sterling reaction, with everyone pulling together and certainly the University of Bradford have been extremely supportive of us throughout the length of this pandemic, providing PPE, mobilising staff, deploying students. It truly was a working partnership and that’s something I’m immensely proud of.”

Mr Brown’s route into healthcare wasn’t particularly straightforward. Hailing from a large Irish Catholic family, he spent much of his youth on farms in the west of Ireland, which is where his parents are originally from.

He was brought up in England and before training to be a nurse, he worked as a market stall trader in Leicester, and in a butcher’s shop, and spent two years working for Tesco.

It was a suggestion from one of his childhood friends that set him on a medical path.

His background is in acute medicine, specialising in palliative care and oncology, and he holds a Masters with Distinction from the University of Nottingham.

Once he had entered the medical profession, he gradually worked his way up, taking on managerial roles, and he says he’s still a clinician at heart.

Despite having his hands full leading one of the biggest healthcare providers in the region, he likes to keep his feet firmly on the ground.

“For me, it’s still all about the people,” said Mr Brown, who is still a registered nurse, which is where he started his career in the health service.

“People are at the centre of the service we deliver. When I became a nurse, it wasn’t just the job I loved, it was the fact that I was in a profession surrounded by people from all different backgrounds. That’s what kept me as part of the NHS for so long.”

Mr Brown moved to Yorkshire four years ago and was previously Executive Director of Nursing/Deputy Chief Executive at both Calderdale and Huddersfield and Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trusts, before taking up his current roles in 2018.

He is also the Senior Responsible Officer for workforce across the Bradford and Airedale district, and for the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership Board.

When he’s not busy working, Mr Brown can be found taking care of his growing menagerie of rescue animals, including three donkeys, a dog and three chickens.

Commenting on his Honorary Professor award from the University of Bradford, he said: “I was incredibly touched to be considered for it. It means a lot to me on a personal level and an honour to be awarded.”