As an NHS nurse for over 30 years and an Army Reserve for over 20 years, Eamonn has nursed all around the world in war zones, on operation, and of course in civilian hospitals as a specialist intensive care nurse.

All this experience culminated in leading roles during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was among the expert team called together in March 2020, at the beginning of ‘wave one’, and would go on to be Chief Nurse at the temporary intensive care hospital NHS Nightingale at the ExCel conference centre. In further waves of COVID, he then became Chief Nurse for NHS Test and Trace and was part of the team leading the effort to provide testing to health and social care workers to protect patients.

Eamonn also describes the role of an Army nurse and some of the many advancements in nursing practice that have resulted from the tragedy of war. Discussion of COVID-19 begins at 4:09.

Content warnings: minor detail of Iraq War, Afghanistan War, historic battles (World War II, Battle of Britain, burns casualties), detailed discussion of COVID-19 pandemic including intensive care and the disproportionate impact on people of colour