A hand surgeon at UHB has been presented with a gift from a military patient to say thank you for the excellent care he was given.

Captain Tom O’Boy was injured during Operation Herrick in Afghanistan and after being flown back to QEHB, he was under the care of Mr Dominic Power, consultant hand surgeon, and the team in the peripheral nerve injury clinic.

Captain O’Boy, who serves with 40 Commando, presented the team with a special commemorative statuette and said: “I just want to say thank you for the care they gave me which has allowed me to go back to the job I love. This wouldn’t have been possible without Mr Power and his hand clinic colleagues. I can honestly say the treatment I received was world-class and exemplary and I have never seen such professionalism.”

The statuette was presented to Mr Power and his consultant hand surgeon colleagues Mr Simon Tan and Mr Mike Waldram. It comprised an armoured gauntlet - which symbolises the role Captain O’Boy played in Afghanistan providing protected mobility to the Royal Marines - holding a commando dagger, which is the Royal Marines symbol. Captain O’Boy felt this was a fitting tribute to the work of the hand team at QEHB.

Mr Power said: “This was a team approach made all the more successful by the high level of motivation and application of Tom himself, which is characteristic of our military patients. The complex nature of military combat injuries seen at the RCDM has challenged the hand service. The techniques employed for reconstruction and restoration of function continue to evolve and benefit both injured military personnel and civilians.”

Captain O’Boy added: “Service personnel have a real depth of affection for the staff at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham who do such an amazing job.”