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On 7 October 2024 Emergency Medicine Consultant Dr Lily Stanley worked her first clinical shift as a Critical Care Doctor at Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC). Dr Lily came on board in December 2023 but went on maternity leave to look after her newest bundle of joy. She said, “My first shift felt like a very long wait but the crew kept me in the loop with the latest news and developments.”
Dr Lily’s path to GWAAC began when she graduated from Medical School in Manchester in June 2011. She worked for a few years as a new doctor up in the North West, then took a year out to do a Diploma in Tropical Medicine. She spent six months in Thailand working on global health projects, then moved to Bristol in 2014 to start her speciality training in Emergency Medicine. Dr Lily said, “I started coming to GWAAC’s Governance Days at the old airbase at Filton when I was a Junior Trainee. I got involved in some projects with GWAAC and gained experience through event medicine and then eventually got a Pre-hospital Emergency Medicine (PHEM) training post with Thames Valley Air Ambulance. It was amazing training but a long commute to Oxford!”
Dr Lily finished her PHEM training in July 2023 and secured her consultant role at Southmead Hospital shortly after. This was followed with her Critical Care Doctor role at GWAAC. She said, “I’m very excited to be joining the crew and to have the opportunity to work within such an experienced and highly skilled team, providing excellent care to people in our local community. With both in-hospital and pre-hospital settings, it feels like a real privilege to work for services that look after my own community including my own family and friends.”
Dr Lily describes her role at GWAAC as, “a full-circle moment from those Governance Days at Filton as a Junior Doctor.” She says, “It’s exciting seeing how things have evolved at GWAAC. I’m excited to get to know the team and learn the new processes here. And it’s lovely that I’ll be out and about and seeing it all from the air and how it all fits together.”
Aware of the challenges of the job, Dr Lily is relying on her ability to adapt. “The nature of the work is always going to test you – but I love the challenge that the pre-hospital environment and case-mix presents – you train hard to be able to do things well for when these skills are actually required.”
Her favourite thing about working for GWAAC is, “The people! And I was really pleased to see that the Clinical Governance Days are still so inclusive for medical professionals outside of GWAAC. I massively benefitted from these when I was a trainee. It’s great that GWAAC is outward-looking and it’s great that we benefit also from the experience of those who attend from in-hospital and out on the road.”
Dr Lily can’t wait to get stuck in and find the right balance between work and home life with a baby. She says, “He is very chilled but already seems to be plotting things with his big brother.”
When asked what she would do if she wasn’t a Consultant and GWAAC Doctor, she said, “I might have joined the Police, but one thing I’ve always regretted is not being a lifeguard on a beach – I swam a lot when I was younger and would have loved it.”
Outside of work Dr Lily enjoys being outdoors and swimming in the sea as well as spending time with her family and going to festivals. Her main hobby is playing music. She says, “I have played the button accordion since I was a child and I still play Irish music with friends when I get a chance.”
Dr Lily is inspired by, “working with really dedicated people and people that think differently.” She says, “pre-hospital work lends itself to people that are inventive in the way they think and practice. This challenges you and makes you question whether things can be done differently.”
Her top ambition is “to settle into GWAAC and be an effective part of the clinical team. I’ve always enjoyed education and training and would love to get involved with that along with the engagement work that GWAAC does. I’m also interested in encouraging more women into PHEM and helping to improve the diversity overall.” She says her biggest achievement to date has been getting her two dream jobs as GWAAC Critical Care Doctor and Emergency Medicine Consultant at Southmead Hospital.
When asked about her three favourite things in life, Dr Lily said, “Playing and listening to music, hanging out with my family and the boys, and getting into the outdoors ideally near to or, even better, getting into the sea!”
And her most hated things? “I’m not a late-night person so unless I’m working or doing something fun, I don’t stay up late. Hmm… and also, Marzipan – yuk!”
Would it be tea or coffee for Dr Lily? “Tea, always tea.”
And one word to describe herself? “Positive – I’m a glass half full person and I’m told I am always enthusiastic.”
"I’m very excited to be joining the crew and to have the opportunity to work within such an experienced and highly skilled team, providing excellent care to people in our local community. With both in-hospital and pre-hospital settings, it feels like a real privilege to work for services that look after my own community including my own family and friends"
