Roger Swinfen had been working with and for people with disabilities since 1982, particularly with his work in the British Parliament in order to improve legislation for the disabled community.
In 1992 both Roger and his wife Patricia, were invited to visit the Centre for Rehabilitation of the Paralysed in Bangladesh, run by Valerie Taylor OBE and it was here that Patricia, a trained Nurse realised that greater help was needed to support those in need in the developing world.
In 1995 they were introduced to Professor Richard Wootton, who was then head of the Institute of Telemedicine and Telecare at Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland and the germ of an idea was sown – Professor Wootton visited CRP in 1998 and agreed that this was an ideal place to set up a pilot study into a telemedical link between a remote hospital and a group of consultants working in more up-to-date hospitals.
Roger gave the opening address at the 6th world conference on Telemedicine at the Royal Society of Medicine in November 1998 and there met Lt Col David Vassallo, RAMC who had devised a telemedicine system with Commander Peter Buxton RN and Professor Victor Patterson for the Defence Medical Services deployed in Bosnia.
In July 1999 the first link was set up at CRP and specialists in the UK, in August, Professor Jim Ryan, ex RAMC, a specialist in post conflict recovery was deployed to Kosovo and once there set up a link between Pristina Hospital and military specialist at the Royal Hospital Haslar.
We now have work in 96 countries, including conflict areas and war zones and we support local doctors and health workers in some of the most remote regions of earth – we have hundreds of Consultants from counties including the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and India, Iraq and Europe who support our referring clinicians with complex cases in patients that would otherwise suffer hugely from a lack of advice. We use both computer and mobile app technology to enable these doctors to contact us and receive advice Free of Charge for their patients – and since 1999 have dealt with thousands of cases across the world.
AWARDS.
2006 Lady Swinfen awarded MBE in the New Year’s Honours List for Services to telemedicine overseas.
2008 The Trust directors Lord and Lady Swinfen Jointly received The Norman Rowe International Educational Award for ‘Service to others’.
2016 Lord Swinfen awarded MBE for Services to telemedicine world wide.
2018 Awarded The American Telemedicine Association Humanitarian Award.
