Office for National Statistics (ONS) employees have been recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours list for their outstanding service during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The ONS has been right at the heart of meeting an incredible demand for public data in the last 12 months. Whether web scraping Google mobility data, introducing new surveys such as the COVID-19 Infection Survey, or publishing regular outputs tracking mortality, the work of the ONS has not gone unnoticed.
Myer Glickman has been awarded an OBE for his outstanding service to Health Analysis over the past 20 years, while colleague Sarah Caul has been awarded an MBE for playing an integral role in the delivery of vital mortality statistics needed to help monitor and understand the impact of COVID-19.
Offering his congratulations, National Statistician Sir Ian Diamond said: "I'm delighted the Queen's Birthday honours has recognised people from within the ONS and this is testament to the dedication, innovation and hard work our employees have shown throughout this period.
"All of us have been affected by COVID-19 in some way, whether through the tragic loss of loved ones or the effect on our physical and mental health. I've been immensely proud of the work all our employees have achieved throughout the pandemic and continue to do."
During his 20 years at the ONS, Myer has revolutionised the analysis of mortality in the United Kingdom and has designed methods which have played a great part in helping our understanding of inequalities and mortality patterns. In early 2020, Myer recognised the increasing significance of COVID-19 before the pandemic reached the UK. He ensured that systems, procedures and contingency plans were in place to allow health analysis to continue and used his expertise to design and deliver high quality COVID-19 mortality analysis which helped to guide the government response.
Myer, 58, from Pontypool, said: "I'm honoured to receive this award, but this is really recognition for the hugely important work the whole team has done in an unprecedented time. We've had to work under pressure and with immediate national impact that none of us have ever experienced, and we have done that together."
The last 12 months have seen an incredible demand for public data, and head of mortality analysis Sarah Caul has been central to turning a once little-known weekly dataset into one of the most important and widely used documents for tracking deaths throughout the pandemic.
Sarah, 30, from Cardiff said: "It is an honour to receive this award and I am thrilled that the work my colleagues and I have undertaken in the last 12 months has been recognised.
"It has been a challenging year, but I am proud to have been involved in producing such vital information to help understand the impact of COVID-19."
Meanwhile, their Hampshire colleague Sue Reeves has been recognised with an MBE for her outstanding service to disability, diversity and inclusion.
As a civil servant of 33 years, Sue - from Gosport - has spent the last 17 years helping colleagues with disabilities find their feet in the workplace, all in a voluntary capacity and on top of her usual duties and responsibilities. Throughout this period, Sue has chaired the ONS Disability Group, helped to establish the LGBT network and is an ONS mental health ally, supporting staff across the department.
Sue, 52, said: "I feel extremely honoured to receive this award and will continue to work to make the Civil Service an even more inclusive environment going forward."
Sue's impact is not only contained to the ONS. As ONS representative and Chair of the Civil Service Disability Network (CSDN), Sue has worked to make sure the CSDN is a network that is a strong voice for disabled staff in the Civil Service.
Sir Ian added: "I am delighted that Sue's dedication and hard work has been recognised. I am immensely proud of the efforts that ONS colleagues go to in making sure the ONS and the wider Civil Service are places of work that are inclusive, supportive and open."
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