A LIMITED edition print has been presented to Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals Trust as a thank-you for allowing a leading anaesthetist to serve in Afghanistan.

The picture, showing an army medical team treating a wounded soldier in the field, was presented in recognition of the service of Lieutenant Colonel Julian Olver, who recently completed his second tour.

Anaesthetist Dr Olver is a member of the medical corps for the Territorial Army and has served in Iraq before his two tours of Afghanistan, where he worked in the hospital in Camp Bastion, in the notorious Helmand Province.

He told the Times Series: “I was out there for about ten weeks this time. The hospital in Camp Bastion is probably the leading trauma centre in the world.

“They're pushing boundaries all the time and these things really help to establish best practise, which we bring back to the NHS.”

Dr Olver, who has worked at Chase Farm since 1986, joined the TA as a medical student and was awarded an MBE in last year's Queen's Birthday Honours list for his services to the army.

He added: “It's definitely getting a lot busier out there. We also help Afghan civilians who have been injured in combat, or by improvised explosive devices. We're not replacing their health service.

“You get to work with a fantastic team of people in one of the most challenging environments in the world. I'm very proud to be a part of it.”

Lieutenant Colonel Tunde Akinkunmi, a senior officer in the 256 Squadron, officially handed the print to the trust's chief executive Averil Dongworth.

He praised the work of the TA medical corps, saying: “They're absolutely crucial. Without the medical reservists, the Army medical services would not function.

“We rely on hospitals releasing staff to support the work we do. Without experienced clinicians like Dr Oliver, we wouldn't advance the expertise we have in the field.

“Lots of people, American, Danish and Afghan, owe their lives to the work of these people.”

Ms Dongworth added: “I think it's excellent the staff have the desire to serve their country and by letting them go on secondment, we are doing our part for the cause.

“The expertise and experience they bring back is also helping us to develop the services we provide to patients.”