A FORMER Furness General Hospital doctor has been awarded a prestigious honour after stepping up where he could during the pandemic.

Peter Duffy, who was once voted 'Doctor of the Year' at Furness General Hospital, now plies his trade on the Isle of Man where his services during the pandemic proved indispensible.

It was an incredibly proud moment for Mr Duffy when he was called by the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man with the news that he was to be bestowed an MBE.

He received the award from Prince William at Buckingham Palace.

He said: "It took me two years to get there as I couldn’t get on and off the island easily due to lockdowns.

"But it was great, we travelled down and drove into Buckingham Palace.

"They almost treat you like royalty yourself. You enter through the main gates of the palace and park up in the courtyard.

"I was really impressed by Prince William. He clearly took the time to learn about each person and was clearly listening to the answers rather than going through the motions.

"We spoke about Whatsapp, Facebook Messenger and digital means of keeping in touch with family, as well as life and the pandemic on the Isle of Man.

"It was a brilliant day for my whole family. My wife did a fantastic job of keeping my family going while I was stuck on the Isle of Man for 18 months and it was really nice to take my mother down there. It was lovely for her to witness everything."

Mr Duffy firstly stepped up to help man the 111 helpline when the pandemic 'came out of nowhere'.

But his varied skillset soon came into play as he helped out wherever he could during the first two years of the pandemic.

When the cases began coming in, he helped out with sick inpatients on wards, with meals, beds, and basic care needs.

As the pandemic worsened and ICU units started to fill up, he helped with a technique called 'proning', where patients are turned back and forth as their care needs dictate, facing up when accessing treatment but down to help airways when alone.

After an outbreak in a nursing home, Mr Duffy was one of those to volunteer to help set up an impromptu ward in a disused unit at the hospital, staffed for six to eight weeks by those most willing to give up their time.