The Prince of Wales thanks nurses on the eve of our 900th campaign launch
His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales has paid tribute to nursing staff at St Bartholomew’s Hospital during a visit this afternoon.
The Prince, whose visit took place one day before International Nurses’ Day on 12 May, was also given an update on plans to rescue and renovate the hospital’s Grade I listed North Wing and Henry VIII Gatehouse by Barts Heritage chief executive Will Palin.
It comes as we prepare to launch our 900th anniversary fundraising campaign with a special online event tomorrow night.
The Prince met with Edith Scott, a cardiology staff nurse who was redeployed to the intensive care unit at The Royal London Hospital for three months at the height of the second Covid-19 wave, and Debbie Spencer Palmer, a sister who has helped to maintain vital cancer services for thousands of vulnerable patients during the pandemic.
His Royal Highness also spoke with Ariadne Agapito, a sister from our outpatients department who was redeployed to our vaccination hub which delivered more than 10,000 lifesaving vaccines to people across the capital.
In preparation for the hospital’s 900th birthday in 2023, a dedicated charity, Barts Heritage, has been established to restore the iconic buildings at the heart of the St Bartholomew’s site, including the North Wing with its spectacular Great Hall and the staircase painted by William Hogarth.
Barts Heritage aims to bring the buildings back to life and back into public use, whilst also providing wellbeing facilities for hospital staff. The Prince of Wales was announced as its Patron in November last year.
As well as securing our proud heritage for future generations, the Barts900 campaign will transform care for our east London communities by raising funds for a dedicated breast surgery centre at St Bartholomew’s Hospital and an expanded clinical research facility at The Royal London Hospital.
During his visit to Britain’s oldest hospital, The Prince spent time privately with staff who cared for his father, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, who was a patient at St Bartholomew’s earlier this year.
He was also shown a series of portraits taken by photographer Matthew Andrews which depict NHS staff working at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Barts900 campaign launch took place on Wednesday 12 May 2021. Watch the event in full below or at Barts900.org where you can find out more about our exciting projects. A View Day service from St Bartholomew the Great followed immediately afterwards.
HRH meets nurses and tours our historic buildings
Pictures courtesy of Matthew Andrews on behalf of Barts Heritage.