Duchess speaks to nurses on Covid frontline
The Duchess of Cambridge (bottom right) called nurses from her Norfolk home to find out how they are coping on the frontline against Covid - Credit: Kensington Palace
The Duchess of Cambridge has spoken to nurses about their experiences during the pandemic and why their profession is important.
The royal, who is patron of the Nursing Now campaign, called staff at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust from her Norfolk residence Anmer Hall.
Some 2,428 nurses and midwives are employed by the trust, which made headlines around the world on December 8 when matron May Parsons delivered the first Covid vaccine to dose in the world to Margaret Keenan.
Since then, a total of 447,329 vaccines have been delivered across the Midlands, with more taking place every day.
The Duchess hailed the vital role that nurses are playing in the vaccine roll-out and spoke with Caroline Rudd and Judith Smith, two retired nurses who first met when they began training as nurses working at UHCW in 1978 and have returned to the NHS together to help with the vaccination programme in care homes.
The Duchess also spoke to Prof Nina Morgan, chief nurse and Vasu Lingappa, a critical care outreach practitioner about caring for critically ill patients and the impact that this can have on staff wellbeing.
Joe Colby, lead nurse for gastroenterology, told the Duchess he had originally worked in a high street bank before training to become a nurse.
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Judith and Caroline, who are now employed by Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, also spoke to the Duchess about how they were proud to answer a call from the NHS to re-join the workforce and help the fight against the coronavirus.
The Duchess said: “You hear time and time again about the amazing things nurses up and down the country are doing - going that extra mile.
"It’s the things that are not part of the training but the things that come from your heart, and I think that’s what matters so much now: these acts of kindness to the patients you’re looking after.”
Throughout the pandemic, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have met NHS staff in person and virtually to hear about the remarkable work they have been doing throughout the pandemic and pass on their thanks.
