Respiratory physician and home care agency founder awarded MBE for work during pandemic

Dr Matthew Knight, who is a consultant respiratory physician and the co-founder of a home care agency in London has been awarded an MBE for his work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Penrose Care in North London was set up by Dr Knight and Robert Stephenson-Padron, a former healthcare research analyst, in 2012. Penrose Care prides itself on being an ethical care provider and was among the first care providers in the UK to become an Accredited Living Wage employer.

Dr Knight who was given the award in the Queen’s Birthday 2020 Honours List, also works at West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust as a consultant respiratory physician. During the pandemic he set up a ‘virtual hospital’ to look after patients infected with COVID-19, and reduced hospital admissions by monitoring patients’ symptoms virtually.

Dr Knight paid tribute to his health and social care colleagues, saying: “I am very humbled to have been awarded an MBE. Many sacrificed so much during this year. I am proud of my many friends and colleagues at West Herts Hospitals and Penrose Care who were far more heroic than I could ever be. There is much to do to ensure those in need get the health and social care that they require and I look forward to continuing to work towards this aim.”

Co-founder of Penrose Care, Robert Stephenson-Padron added: “I cannot think of a British medical professional more deserving of a Queen’s honour than my Penrose Care co-founder Dr Matthew Knight. Together, we have built the UK’s pioneer of the ethical provision of home care which has garnered international recognition.

“At the start of COVID-19 pandemic, under Dr Knight’s guidance, Penrose Care made special pre-cautionary investments to prepare for a worst-case pandemic scenario. His leadership on this front led to us having zero COVID-19 cases among clients to date.

“From this position of strength we have been able to look outward during these difficult times, delivering donated PPE to a local hospital and hospice and saving over 100 jobs in our local community by running pandemic recovery and safety measures in Belsize Village which sparked a local economic boom amidst one of the worst national recessions on record. I hope Dr Knight is proud. His Penrose Care family is certainly proud of him.”

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