AFTERNOON tea with the Queen was the reward for two community nurses who helped set up a scheme to manage patient care closer to home.
Claire Nicholls and Karen Crane spent an afternoon at Buckingham Palace after helping hundreds of patients in the Bourne area over the last 18 months through their virtual ward.
The pair, who both work as complex case managers for Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust, were among a handful of NHS staff from across the East Midlands to receive an invitation to the event.
Their work means patients now have the option of having their care managed in their own homes or in nearby care homes rather than being admitted into hospital. It has also helped with patients being discharged home from hospital.
Claire said: “We were able to have a walk around the gardens and the Beefeaters came out as the Royal Family made their entrance. It was lovely.
“It was nice to be recognised for the work we have been doing.”
Members of the Royal Family present at the garden party included the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal, and the Duke of York.
Claire added: “Our families are very proud. My little girl, who is six, wanted to know if we were going to come home with a party bag from the Queen.”