Wigan nurse joins King Charles III to celebrate his 75th birthday

Nurses and midwives who trained abroad and now work at NHS trusts across the North West were recognised for their contributions to the NHS.

They were invited to attend a reception to mark the King’s 75th birthday and the 75th anniversary of the NHS.

Sali Thomas, head of nursing and operational manager at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, was invited for her contribution, support and hard work on international recruitment and developing educational pathways for newly registered nurses.

She said: “I’m grateful to my trust for the nomination to meet His Majesty The King. When I received this letter, I did not know what to expect. What a great surprise and lovely opportunity to attend such as special event, especially on the King’s 75th birthday.”

The reception was also attended by NHS England’s chief executive officer Amanda Pritchard, chief nursing officer Ruth May, deputy chief nursing officer Duncan Burton, chief midwifery officer Kate Brintworth and the Health Secretary Victoria Atkins.

James McLean, joint chief nurse at NHS England North West, said: “Our international workforce play a vital role in providing excellent and compassionate care to our patients and I’m unbelievably proud of the 25 nurses who represented the North West at such a special event – congratulations to you all.

“In the North West, we are leading the way with a number of successful international recruitment and support programmes, helping skilled and experienced clinicians train and adapt to work in the NHS and grow our workforce.”