The countess surprised Lincolnshire nurses and healthcare assistants at the Lincolnshire General Practice Nurse and Health Care Assistant virtual conference.

The Lincolnshire General Practice Nurse Conference took place on the 20th of January 2021, online. Her Royal Highness, the Countess of Wessex joined the start of the conference and thanked all healthcare staff in the county for their efforts during the pandemic.

The Countess’ arrival at the conference was a surprise to the Nurses and Healthcare assistants attending. The host for the day Dr Helen Garr, welcomed the Countess and wished her a very Happy Birthday.

The Countess advised that her 89 year old Father had received the Covid vaccine the day prior and she was so happy that he’d got it. “it’s a huge weight off my mind.” “I know that that wouldn’t be happening without the care and attention of the nurses out in general surgeries.” The Countess then took time to ask of the Nurse and Health Care Assistants how they were coping with the pandemic. The feedback from the healthcare workers attending the conference has been fantastic.

Lisa Freeman – Director of Nursing, Lincolnshire Training Hub, “To have such a high profile visitor attend our conference and recognise all of the hard work which goes on with nursing teams in Lincolnshire General Practice has provided a much needed boost to our workforce. We have all headed into the practices today with a spring in our step.”

Susan McElnea – Director, Lincolnshire Training Hub , “We were absolutely honoured to have HRH The Countess of Wessex attend our conference. We are conscious that our resilient Nursing Teams are working extremely hard in General Practice and at the Covid Vaccine sites and are delighted that they received such high praise from the Countess.”

Dr Runa Saha, Medical Director, Lincolnshire Training Hub, “We are committed to supporting the recruitment, training and development needs for General Practice in Lincolnshire. Our workforce are passionate about meeting the needs of the Lincolnshire patients. We are proud to be supporting the growth of the workforce through placements in Primary Care for students from the University of Lincoln and other institutions, creating a new generation of healthcare staff.”

The conference continued with some continued professional development sessions, the launch of the ShinyMind wellbeing app, now accessible to all general practice staff across Lincolnshire and finished with the General Practice Nurse and Health Care Assistant Awards. Practitioners across Lincolnshire were awarded for their outstanding contribution in the following categories:

Nurse of the Year
HCA/NA of the Year
Nursing Team of the Year
Student Placement of the Year
The Extra Mile Award
Outstanding Contribution to General Practice