Her Majesty The Queen thanks Roald Dahl Nurses for International Nurses' Day

As the Royal Patron of Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, and to celebrate International Nurses’ Day (12th May), Her Majesty The Queen met and thanked Roald Dahl Nurses for their extraordinary dedication and hard work caring for seriously ill children. Her Majesty’s recognition of these marvellous nurses coincides with the announcement that Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity now has over 150 Roald Dahl Nurses in post across the UK, caring for more than 36,000 seriously ill children.

Queen Camilla took time to meet the 11 Roald Dahl Nurses at Royal London Hospital, part of Barts Health NHS Trust in East London, recognising the incredible work they do caring for children living with complex lifelong medical conditions. Queen Camilla was joined on the visit by Alex Jones, co-host of BBC’s The One Show and supporter of the charity, in meeting and thanking the nurses and chatting to families in their care.

Alex Jones said, “I was delighted to be invited to meet some of the Roald Dahl Nurses today, and to find out more about the amazing work they do caring for these children with very complex conditions. International Nurses' Day is the perfect time to thank them and celebrate their work.” Louise Griew, Chief Executive of Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity said, “International Nurses’ Day is the perfect time to honour our nurses and we are so grateful to Her Majesty The Queen and Alex Jones for taking time today to recognise their incredible work. Every seriously ill child deserves a Roald Dahl Nurse and together we can make a real difference, so we hope that people will donate to our Fund a Nurse Appeal in honour of International Nurses’ Day, to help us establish more Roald Dahl Nurses to provide their vital care.”

Caroline Alexander, Group Chief Nurse, Barts Health NHS Trust said, “We are thrilled to have welcomed Her Majesty The Queen today to meet our Roald Dahl Nurse Specialists. These highly trained nurses provide enhanced support for our young patients with highly complex conditions and their families. The support of Roald Dahl's Marvellous Children’s Charity in raising the funds to establish these posts is hugely appreciated by us at Barts Health. International Nurses' Day is a wonderful opportunity to recognise their invaluable contribution, along with all our nurses in every department here at the Royal London, and across Barts Health and the NHS.” The charity provides specialist nurses and support for children living with some of the most complex medical conditions in the UK. Unfortunately, thousands of seriously ill children are still without the specialist care they desperately need. As part of the charity's Fund a Nurse Appeal, they are aiming to raise £1million to establish more Roald Dahl Nurses to care for children with medical complexity (CMC). To support the appeal please visit the campaign page. Thank you!