Telford nurse speaks of pride at attending Buckingham Palace reception
A senior charge nurse at the trust which runs Shropshire’s acute hospitals said it was an honour to attend a Buckingham Palace reception hosted by the King.
Jan Bacani, a senior charge nurse for critical care at Princess Royal Hospital in Telford was nominated to represent the Midlands region at the celebration.
More than 400 international nurses and midwives attended the reception, which was held as part of the NHS 75th anniversary, and also to mark the King’s 75th birthday.
Jan, who was one of the first Filipino nurses to work at The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), said: “I was really surprised and proud to be nominated to represent our trust – it was an honour.
“It was an amazing evening. Everyone was so excited and people were so nice to me from different backgrounds and trusts. It was a celebration of the NHS – we are all working together to help the NHS. Despite any differences, we all have a common goal to do our best for the NHS.”
Jan said that he shook the hand of the King a couple of times.
He added: “The King was very gracious and very generous to everyone and he made sure he greeted as many people as possible.”
Hayley Flavell, director of nursing at SaTH, said: “It is just fantastic that Jan was chosen to represent us, as it is amazing to see how his career has developed at the trust and how he epitomises the caring and trusted nature of a nurse.”
Jan arrived in Shropshire in 2001 from the Philippines. His first clinical area at the trust was the Medical Admissions Unit (now Acute Medical Unit) at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
