NHS staff became a part of history last weekend after being selected to attend events to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
Two hundred staff had prime seats for the coronation in recognition of the dedication, service and impact of hundreds of thousands of NHS staff and volunteers over its 75-year history – with a special grandstand set up near Buckingham Palace giving them a unique view of Their Majesties The King and Queen Consort leaving for Westminster Abbey and returning in the Gold State Coach after officially being crowned.
To represent the health service, chief executive Amanda Pritchard attended the Coronation Ceremony at Westminster Abbey, as well as paramedic Chris Bell, who attended the first Covid patient in the UK in 2020.
Professor Dame Elizabeth Anionwu played a key role in the ceremony, carrying the gold Sovereign Orb. Dame Elizabeth first started working with the NHS as a school nurse assistant in Wolverhampton aged 16 and went on to become the first sickle cell nurse specialist in the UK, devoting her career to working with black and minority ethnic communities in London, and recognised as one of the 70 most influential nurses and midwives in the history of the NHS when the health service marked its 70th anniversary.
Individuals who have been awarded the BEM were invited to the ceremony.
The following day, on the evening of Sunday 7th May, 50 more NHS staff from around the country attended the Coronation Concert, held at Windsor Castle, where they enjoyed the entertainment from acts including Take That, Olly Murs, Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Tom Cruise and Winnie the Pooh.
A 300-strong Coronation Choir performed at the concert, including members of Hull's NHS choir, and Emma Withey, a housekeeper at Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and member of UNIFY Choir, an all-deaf sign performance group and the only deaf choir in the UK.
King's College London celebrated with treats for staff as well as a special Coronation high tea for inpatients, while children at Evelina London Children's Hospital prepared by creating crowns, artwork and play dough cupcakes, and the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry hosted a tea party for local veterans in their Headley Court Veterans' Orthopaedic Centre.
NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard, who attended the Coronation at Westminster Abbey, said: “It is an extraordinary honour to be asked to attend the Coronation service on behalf of the NHS. For so many health service staff to be invited to be part of this historic occasion shows the huge amount of respect and admiration the Royal Family has for the NHS and the work our dedicated staff do.
“As we start a new chapter for the country with the coronation of His Majesty King Charles, we are also looking to the future of the health service and the opportunities ahead of us, while reflecting on the incredible history and achievements of our organisation – and our staff and volunteers – over the past 75 years.
“From Britain’s first heart transplant in 1958, pioneering new treatments such as bionic eyes and, in more recent times, the world’s first rapid whole genome sequencing service for seriously ill babies and children, and rolling out the biggest and fastest vaccination programme in NHS history during the Covid pandemic, the health service has always adapted to meet the changing needs of the country, and will continue to do so to ensure local care is fit for the future.”
More than 20,000 NHS workers entered the ballot for places at the procession and concert this weekend, with entries numbered and chosen at random.
