Sir Keith Porter – Birmingham Accident Hospital

Educated at Penhill School and Marlborough College
Qualified from St Thomas’ Hospital London in 1974
Ambition since childhood to care for the injured
On entering medical school developed desire to work at Birmingham Accident Hospital
Early in career work with the London Ambulance Service and later the West Midlands Ambulance Service developed his interest in pre-hospital care. Became 999 responder and involved in training and education of paramedics
Undertook higher surgical training in the West Midlands including the Birmingham Accident Hospital
Appointed consultant trauma surgeon at the Accident Hospital in 1986 with trauma and orthopaedic sessions at Selly Oak Hospital
Became junior surgeon on team 2 working with Peter Bewes and Jim Smith
Played a leading role in the British Association for Immediate Care (BASICS) being Chairman of their Education Committee for 10 years and their Vice-Chairman. Keith is currently a patron of BASICS
Evolving role in the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care at the Royal College of Surgeon of Edinburgh including 6 years as Chairman. Keith is currently the patron of the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care
Played a key role in establishing the medical subspecialty of Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine. For 3 years he was Chairman of the Intercollegiate Board for Training in Pre-Hospital Emergency Medicine (PHEM)
In relation to research Keith was the Chairman of the National Institute for Health Research, Surgical Reconstruction, Microbiology and Regeneration (NIHR SRMRC) Department for 6 years
More recently, he was the lead for the Academic Department of Clinical Traumatology at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Keith was co-founder of the Covert Advanced Life Support Course with the Hereford Regiment and its subsequent iterations
Keith has been an instructor on BASICS courses, ATLS and the European Trauma Course and more recently life support courses
Keith is the civilian lead for the care of injured soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan
For his services to the military he was knighted in the New Year’s Honours List 2010
Keith was co-founder of the West Midlands Central Accident and Resuscitation and Emergency Team (CARE Team) and remains its patron and Chair of Trustees
Keith has been an independent responder to 999 emergency calls for complex RTCs and entrapments and major incidents within the West Midlands and Hereford and Worcestershire Ambulance Service for over 25 years
He is Clinical Trustee to the St John Ambulance and a trustee for the Boparan Charity and the County Air Ambulance Trust
Keith is a co-founder of the educational charity Trauma Care with Professor Jim Ryan and Professor Ian Greaves for which he was Chairman for 12 years
Keith is co-founder of citizenAID – a charity providing lifesaving skills in the therapeutic vacuum between terrorist attacks and arrival of paramedics at the patient’s side
Keith has enjoyed an opportunity to lecture locally, regionally, nationally and internationally throughout his career
Keith is proud to continue the memory of the “Acci” and has played a role in the reunions as well as being the driving force behind this book
Keith has over 200 peer review publications and has been editor/author for over 12 books

Keith has delivered the following eponymous lectures:

2002 – Penman Visiting Professorship Lecture
2005 – Maurice Ellis Lecturer
2009 – Sir Geoffrey Jefferson lecture
2009 – Ryan Lecture
2009 – Naughton Dunn Lecture
2009 – Sir Nigel Mills lecture
2009 – Cheselden Lecture
2011 – Alan Apley Memorial Lecture
2011 – Mitchiner Lecture
2012 – Harry Crock Memorial Lecture
2016 – John Hunter Lecture
2017 – Malkin Lecture

Keith is a family man and is proud of his children, Matthew, James, Sarah and Lucy and he has received unstinting support from his wife Sham
He retired from whole time practice in 2019 but remains clinically active at Queen Elizabeth Hospital for two days per week