Whittington gynaecologist rewarded for years of royal work

HE raced by police car to be by the bedside of the Countess of Wessex whose baby, Louise, had been a difficult birth.
Now the Queen has thanked her own gynaecologist, Whittington Hospital consultant Marcus Setchell, by awarding him with the CVO (Commander of the Royal Victorian Order).
He received the honour from Prince Charles at a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace with his wife Sarah and daughter Catherine last week. Unlike the government’s political birthday honours, this is the Queen’s personal gift.
Mr Setchell, 60, from Muswell Hill, married with four grown up children, has been royal gynaecologist for 14 years and sees royal staff regularly at the Whittington where he has a busy NHS clinic.
A man devoted to his job, he said. “I always tell students that in my speciality you can often see people from the womb to the tomb.
“It is lovely when people who you helped bring into the world and their mothers stop by to say hello.”
The process of giving birth could be painful although there were lots of advances to make it easier and safer, he said.
Choosing to delay having babies until your 40s can produce problems, most of which can normally be overcome.
“Starting a family late means there may be problems with fertility and difficulties in getting pregnant. Also miscarriages are more common, but that is part of the challenge of the job.”
His most recent claim to fame was raising £16,000 for WellBeing, the health research charity for women and babies of which he is a trustee, with a gruelling six-day sponsored walk into Egypt’s Sinai Desert.
Two camels and 15 people, of which Mr Setchell was the oldest, took part in the trek earlier this year.
“We started by climbing Mount Sinai in order to see the dawn rise over the mountain where Moses declared the 10 Commandments,” Mr Setchell said. “The scenery is incredibly dramatic with colours changing with the light.”
They then trekked for eight hours a day, covering around 20km each day, from Mount Sinai to the Red Sea – through remote canyons, over rocky mountains, sand dunes and wadis (dried out river valleys) at temperatures of around 35°c.
“It was the first time I had slept in a sleeping bag for over 30 years,” he added. “But the whole experience was fantastic – amazing scenery, absolute quiet and isolation and intense exercise.”
The trekkers had to drink a minimum of six litres of water a day but there were no problems apart from the odd blister.
“I am deeply grateful to all the colleagues and friends at the Whittington who, along with others, so generously sponsored me.”
Established in 1964 WellBeing is the fundraising arm of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, which is based in Sussex Place, Regent’s Park.
Since its founding the charity has raised nearly £23 million for women and baby health projects but it claims there is still work to be done:
n Twenty-five per cent of all pregnancies end in miscarriage or stillbirth;
n Fifty per cent of stillbirths remain unexplained and one in 10 women will have to undergo a hysterectomy by their early 40s;
n Nearly 5,000 women will die of ovarian cancer each year.
Many clinical practices and treatments in use today are the direct result of WellBeing’s work.
For example, the charity claims credit for the discovery that folic acid reduces the occurrence of spina bifida.
It also helped develop the extensive use of keyhole techniques as an alternative to major surgery for many gynaecological conditions.