NI’s coronavirus heroes recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours

Retired top civil servant David Sterling, a virologist who dramatically scaled up sample testing, and a healthcare worker who led the retraining of nurses in delivering oxygen are among those named in the list.

A bus driver who helped keep public transport running and a St John Ambulance volunteer are also lauded.

Virologist Dr Conall McCaughey, 59, was involved in boosting the number of samples analysed in laboratories from eight a day in February to 1,500 now.

“We were doing things in days that would normally take weeks, and in weeks that would normally take six months,” he said.

“It has been stressful and also really quite affirming that the system can actually do big things quickly, and bigger things faster, than any of us that work in the system have ever seen or thought possible.”

Dr McCaughey, from Downpatrick, Co Down, who works for Belfast Health & Social Care Trust, is made an OBE for services to laboratory testing during the emergency.

Mr Sterling, who recently retired as head of the NI Civil Service, found himself running Northern Ireland in the midst of Stormont’s powersharing crisis.

He receives a knighthood for services to government and said he sees the “humbling” honour as recognition of the whole organisation’s work during the turbulent three-year impasse without elected ministers in office.

The married 62-year-old said he hopes the achievements of colleagues amid the Stormont stand-off, and subsequently during the coronavirus pandemic, has challenged the narrative that the Civil Service is “broken”.

He told the PA news agency: “We were determined throughout that period that we would keep the lights on, we would keep the show on the road.

“But we wanted, as far as we could, to do more than just keep things ticking over.”

Powersharing had just been restored when the coronavirus pandemic hit the new administration and health services had to be dramatically reorganised.

NHS worker Caroline Lee, who helped train nurses in managing deteriorating patients during Covid-19 care, said she is “humbled” at being made an MBE for services to healthcare.

“With anything in health it is never one person, for this it is not one person, it is the whole team,” she said.

“We worked as one to be as responsive and agile as we possibly could.

“They were right behind me in everything that I said we would do.”

St John Ambulance volunteer Adrian Petticrew said he wants his OBE to shine a light on the work of all his colleagues during the emergency.

The 53-year-old, from Banbridge, Co Down, has been involved with the charity since he was 10, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather.

Lloyd Creaney and his wife Ruth, from Hillsborough in Co Down, used their graphic design skills to make face shields for Craigavon Area Hospital staff, among others.

They were shielding for health reasons and could not leave home but a crew of volunteer bikers organised deliveries.

They receive the British Empire Medal for services to key workers.

Mr Creaney said: “We just felt like we did our bit, really.”

Others from Northern Ireland honoured are golfer Rory McIlroy’s juvenile coach, who allowed him to sign up for Holywood Golf Club when he was three years under age.

Eddie Harper, who receives the British Empire Medal, recalled: “He assured me he knew all the rules of golf and would not annoy people.”

Alan Snoddy, the World Cup finals referee from Co Antrim, is made an MBE for services to football.