Mr Ben Banerjee first signed up to help patients in 1982, when he worked as a porter at Sunderland Royal Hospital.
Now, he has stepped down from his role as a consultant vascular surgeon with South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust.Mr Ben Banerjee gets his Honorary Doctorate of Medicine at Sunderland University (Image: David Wood)
As he begins his retirement, Mr Banerjee is also celebrating being presented with an honorary doctorate of medicine by the University of Sunderland, in recognition of his services to the city, the NHS, and the Army.
Mr Banerjee studied medicine at Newcastle University, where he remains an honorary clinical senior lecturer in vascular surgery.
He rejoined the Sunderland trust in 2004 after completing his training in the North East.Mr Ben Banerjee pictured with colleagues on the vascular ward at Sunderland Royal Hospital. (Image: David Wood)
In addition to working for the NHS, Mr Banerjee joined the Army Reserves while still a medical student.
This saw him deployed on five military operations in Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan.
In 2019, he was appointed as one of the Queen’s Honorary Surgeons, now a King’s Honorary Surgeon.(Image: David Wood)
He continues his Army Reserve service as Head Army Healthcare.
Mr Banerjee said: “I would like to offer my sincere thanks to the Trust and the people of Sunderland, not only for a job and a career as a consultant vascular surgeon, but also for facilitating my military career through multiple deployments.”
Dr Shaz Wahid, the trust’s executive medical director, said: “As Ben begins his retirement, we thank him for his service to the NHS throughout his years.
“During this time, he will have helped care for thousands of patients and used his expertise to not only treat those we look after, but share his knowledge with his colleagues.
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“His achievements through the Army are also a testament to his dedication to helping others and he is to be congratulated for the distinctions he has earned.”
The trust is an Armed Forces Friendly employer, supporting staff who are reservists to take time out to train and for deployments.
It is part of the Step Into Health programme, which encourages and helps veterans into healthcare careers.