David Nott Foundation

We were honoured to take Heston® over the river this week to visit the Department of Health and Social Care. Dr Zubir Ahmed MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Innovation and Safety, a transplant and vascular surgeon, had the opportunity to meet our anatomically accurate prosthetic training tool, Heston® - exploring the abdominal cavity with enthusiasm and panache. The aim was to deepen the relationship between the David Nott Foundation and the DHSC, and to mark the international medical partnership. 4 surgeons from Ukraine are currently taking part in an ‘observership’ – spending the next ten days working in two UK hospitals in London and in Newcastle as part of the landmark UK-Ukraine 100-year partnership, which started last year. The partnership shows the UK’s commitment to Ukraine and formalises the ‘unbreakable bonds’ between the two countries, ‘broadening and deepening the relationship across defence and non-military areas and enabling closer community links’. As part of this, doctors in Ukraine and UK will gain experience in each other’s health systems fostering a knowledge exchange. Two members of our anaesthetic surgical faculty Dr Ian Nesbitt and Dr Jenny Illingworth are coordinating the exchange and we will have further details next week when we meet the Ukrainian surgeons in a London hospital. We are looking forward to hearing about this first stage and very excited about the opportunity that this partnership brings.

We’re hiring an Office Manager at the David Nott Foundation to help ensure the smooth running of our global surgical training programmes. ➡️ For more info and to apply: davidnottfoundation.com/job/office-man… #charityjobs #NGOjobs #hiring

We’re hiring an Impact & Learning Officer at the David Nott Foundation to help strengthen how we measure and learn from the impact of our global surgical training programmes. ➡️ For more info and to apply: davidnottfoundation.com/job/impact-and… #charityjobs #NGOjobs #hiring

Above a fire station in East London is a large painted sign which reads: ‘Love is the running towards’. You can see it from the top deck of the bus - it shines in the morning sun to commuters on their way to work. If you look, you can be reminded to think of your purpose in life - as the ‘running towards’ can mean a multitude of different paths to each of us - depending on our calling or profession. So in some ways it seemed counterintuitive to be flying in the opposite direction of the flames with three war surgeons - who are normally the people to be running towards. Earlier this month, as the Middle East was engulfed with more chaos and destruction, we boarded a flight to San Francisco to start talking about our work to a totally new audience. 🔗 Read the full story on our Substack: davidnottfoundation.substack.com/p/love-is-the-…

Heston® is normally to be found in countries affected by conflict or catastrophe, but last week had a little respite in a glamorous location in San Francisco. Here he is with two of our newest surgical faculty members - Tom Avery and Peter Tengberg who were talking about their recent work in Myanmar and Afghanistan respectively, to potential supporters. Heston® now has a US stamp in his passport - his twelfth stamp - alongside all the other countries he has visited: Palestine, Ukraine, Moldova, Syria, Turkey, Yemen, Kenya, Iraq, Libya, Kuwait and Somaliland. Our practicals centre around Heston®, our anatomically-correct human war wound simulator, which showcases a range of injuries seen in war, allowing doctors the opportunity to visualise wounds such as a head trauma or limb damage. Heston is the only one of its kind, and later this year will be joined by Heston®2 - a similar model but with a uterus. The design and creation of both Heston® and Heston®2 was pioneered by our Co-Founder David Nott with Max Campbell from Health Cuts. Watch the space!

From our incredible Co-Founder, Elly Nott, to our surgical Faculty - home and abroad. From our courageous trainees to our hard working team in London HQ, and our patients far and wide: we are represented by, and committed to care for women. With 61 conflicts raging worldwide - we hold in our minds the sobering statistics from the WHO which reveal that 64% of global maternal deaths, 50% of newborn deaths and 51% of stillbirths come from countries where there is conflict or catastrophe. Today is International Women's Day. We'd like to thank all the amazing women who work with us and support us. We are thinking of all the women who need us. And we will never take for granted, all the wonderful men who support the women. #InternationalWomensDay #warsurgeons

Behind the scenes at the David Nott Foundation HQ is a space designed to serve multiple purposes: an office, training venue and event space, as well as a carefully organised hub for the specialist teaching tools used in our frontline surgical training courses around the world. Each course kit is packed with precision. The number of models and instruments prepared is carefully calculated to match the size and structure of the training, ensuring every participant can take part in hands-on simulation. Boxes of silicone hearts and other training models are regularly lined up and ready to travel to wherever they're needed most. #behindthescenes #medicalinnovation #surgicaltraining

Words from Gavin Cliff, our Inventory & Procurement Officer now on Substack: davidnottfoundation.substack.com/p/gavin-cliff-… #charity #humanitarianism #ourpeople

“We aim to continue developing world-class training, delivering skills enhancement in challenging environments. Our dedication to Ukraine remains steadfast, for as long as it’s needed.” David Nott, Co-Founder This week marks four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In 2022, no one thought the war would last this long. But Ukraine has defied all odds and denied Russia victory. Our Foundation has worked alongside Ukrainian surgeons since David's first mission there shortly after the invasion. We will continue to show unwavering support for the development of a robust, trauma – ready surgical workforce across Ukraine. #ukraine #wardoctor #conflictsurgeons

Today marks four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In 2022, no one thought the war would last this long. But Ukraine has defied all odds and denied Russia victory. Our Foundation has worked alongside Ukrainian surgeons since David's first mission there shortly after the invasion. Khrystyna Kachmar, filmed here on a train in Ukraine during one of our visits, is our programme manager based in Kyiv, and helps run the ship through these incredibly treacherous waters. As she wrote in her latest Substack for our Foundation: "When the war broke out in Ukraine, I volunteered in many ways: donating blood, supporting my friends who enlisted to protect the country, and moving in with my parents while giving my apartment to a family fleeing Chernihiv, which was heavily attacked by the Russians. The War Doctor is now on my shelf by my bed. When I look at it... I feel the drive and the larger purpose behind our shared effort to bring skilled and safe surgical care to all. I am proud to be part of the team and to be sharing the magic of the David Nott Foundation.” See the comments for the link to our Substack #ukraine #warsurgeons #wardoctor

Last month, our Co-Founder Professor David Nott, Dr Tom Avery and anaesthetist Dr Ian Nesbitt trudged through dense jungle and across rivers to save lives in Myanmar. They spent 10 days in a jungle hospital where they trained doctors and conducted operations. David Nott: ‘Lots of people are dying because of lack of surgical knowledge. Many doctors working there weren’t able to finish a formal residency training, and no one has had any teaching for the past 5 years. They were so keen to learn. One surgeon drove hours through the jungle to discuss a case with us and drove back again. Patients were brought in on bamboo cane and tarpaulin stretchers known as a ‘bamboolance’. #frontlinesurgery #wardoctors

Last month our Co-Founder Professor David Nott, Dr Tom Avery and anaesthetist Dr Ian Nesbitt carried out a covert surgical mission to Myanmar to operate and to train doctors in one of the world’s most deadly conflicts. Their mission sits at the heart of what we do: to share knowledge with frontline doctors, equipping them with the confidence and skills to save more lives. “We were smuggled over the border and back, we travelled up river on narrow boats, on the back of a truck in dense jungle to the jungle hospital. On the way to the jungle hospital we were attacked by drones, we got bombed. We stayed safe a ditch.” Dr Ian Nesbitt.

"As they say, to be a good surgeon, you need to have the fingers of a lady, the eye of an owl, and the heart of a lion." Dr Koma Akim. Watch and read about the art of surgery on our Substack through the reflections of our Co-Founder David Nott and fellow surgeon Dr Koma Akim from South Sudan. davidnottfoundation.substack.com

Courage originates from the French word cœur, meaning "heart". This etymology highlights that true courage involves acting from the heart, following intuition or passion, and letting it guide actions even in the face of fear or uncertainty. All you need is love. #love #wardoctors #happyvalentinesday

We’re proud to share that our incredible supporter Yildiz Farfour is a finalist for Volunteer Champion of the Year at Donorfy CRM's Access Impact Awards 2026 🎉 📣 Public voting is now open – please vote for Yildiz here: #yildiz" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">donorfy.com/volunteer-cham… 📣 #fdnf #medicalstudent #studentsthatsavelives

bit.ly/4qnmNFl The David Nott Foundation (DNF), is offering three sponsored spaces for the Newcastle Surgical Training Centre’s PACTS course, 26 - 27 November 2026, Newcastle, UK. Sponsorship includes full coverage of course attendance, travel, subsistence, and any required visa applications for travel to the UK. To be eligible for sponsorship, you must be working and living in a country impacted by conflict or catastrophe. This course is aimed at consultants and ST8 and above in paediatric surgery, orthopaedics, plastics and neurosurgery or trauma surgeons with an adult practice who may treat children in an emergency, as well as paediatric anaesthetists. We encourage entire theatre trauma teams to attend together.

A text message from a frontline surgeon in Ukraine who attended one of our hostile environment surgical training courses last year: "Just two days ago I had a mass casualty. I had 4 patients in one hour. 3 of them had massive haemorrhage from arterial injury, fractures and amputations. There was only one surgeon (me). Knowledge and practice from your course helped me to save their lives and limbs."

'The last 18 years I work as a military surgeon in Kharkiv Military Hospital. Very dynamic situations: sometimes we can actually sleep at calm, but sometimes we under bomb.' Colonel Iurii, Ukraine As the Russian invasion continues into its fourth year with regular missiles and drone strikes, civilians are suffering deeply in the most severe of winter conditions. We continue to support Ukrainian surgeons as they work tirelessly to serve their people and save lives. #Ukraine #Conflictsurgery

From wards to war zones, our growing community of trainee doctors is driven to make a difference in the face of conflict. TDNF is working to improve trainee exposure to war surgery in austere, resource-limited environments. By the time our members become consultants, we aim for them to be better prepared to embark in this field safely, ethically and effectively. ℹ️ To find out more and to join the committee, visit davidnottfoundation.com/tdnf/ #tdnf #traineedoctors #wardoctors

This month, we hosted the 2026 Trainees of David Nott Foundation (TDNF) Annual Conference in Birmingham – two days of specialist talks and hands-on workshops focused on frontline surgical skills. “To share a room with individuals willing to use education and skills to provide safe surgical care and strengthen health systems is to share in their vision for a better society.” 👉 Read the summary davidnottfoundation.com/2026-tdnf-conf…