Royal thank you to RUH and Bath nursing staff

A group of Bath nurses were among hundreds invited to a special Royal reception (Wednesday 14 March) to thank front line staff working in the NHS.

Five nurses from the Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust joined more than 350 NHS guests from all over the country at Buckingham Palace.

The reception was hosted by Prince Charles, who was joined by the Countess of Wessex, to celebrate nursing in the UK.

Simon Andrews, surgical matron at the RUH said: "It was a really good occasion, very grand but informal and friendly. We all met and chatted to Prince Charles and the Countess – they were very interested in our work and clearly understood how busy the NHS has been over the winter and how hard everyone's been working. It was a really enjoyable evening with so many other nurses – there was a really good atmosphere."

Jo Miller, RUH Head of Nursing Medical Division, said: "The Prince and the Countess were charming and very empathetic. They were well-informed and clearly understood the challenges of nursing and the NHS. It was a really lovely event and a great honour and thank you not just for us but for everyone at the Trust."

The RUH team included Donna Milner, junior sister in Surgical Short Stay, Tanya Harris, senior sister on the ACE older persons' assessment ward, and Vicky Whittock, a sister in the Emergency Department.

Nicola Murphy, Lead Nurse for Quality Improvement at Bath and North East Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group also attended the event in recognition of her work with providers to improve local health and care services. She said: "It was an absolute honour to attend the reception alongside so many inspiring colleagues. It was also lovely to hear Prince Charles talking about his fond memories of the nurses who looked after him when he had his appendix removed as a child."

The guests represented nurses from throughout the profession, from hospitals to general practice to community nursing, nursing homes, and nurses in the armed forces and prisons. Organisations represented included St John Ambulance, the Royal College of Nursing, the Queen's Nursing Institute, and Florence Nightingale Foundation.

Prince Charles is a long-time supporter of the healthcare sector and is Patron of several charities which involve and support nurses, including Macmillan Cancer Care, Marie Curie and The British Red Cross. The Countess of Wessex is Patron of The Nursing Memorial Appeal and Colonel-in-Chief of Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps.

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

• The Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust provides acute treatment and care for a catchment population of around 500,000 people in Bath, and the surrounding towns and villages in North East Somerset and Western Wiltshire. The hospital provides healthcare to the population served by four Clinical Commissioning Groups: Bath & North East Somerset CCG, Wiltshire CCG, Somerset CCG and South Gloucestershire CCG.
• The Trust has 759 beds and a comprehensive range of acute services including medicine and surgery, services for women and children, accident and emergency services, and diagnostic and clinical support services.
• In 2015 The Royal United Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was acquired the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases (RNHRD) NHS Foundation Trust. The RNHRD treats patients from across the country offering services in rheumatology, chronic pain and chronic fatigue syndrome/ME.
• The RUH is changing - we have an exciting programme of redevelopment underway transforming our site and further improving the services we provide. The Trust is now working towards building a purpose built RNHRD and Therapies Centre and a new Dyson Cancer Centre. For more details visit: www.ruh.nhs.uk/fit4future

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