Patient says thanks with an Oscar

Nurses often don't receive the recognition they deserve for their hard work but these three were delighted when they were awarded a real Oscar.

The red carpet was rolled out for the trio who were given the Oscar in true film star fashion by Norman Wanstall, who worked as the soundtrack editor on six James Bond movies.

He won the Oscar for creating the sound-effects in Goldfinger.

His presentation ceremony took place in Los Angeles, in 1965.

He was so impressed with the level of care he received at Tenbury Community Hospital, Mr Wanstall brought in the Oscar after he had been discharged and awarded it to the nurses who had been looking after him.

Physiotherapist Fiona Mitchel, day surgery staff nurse Gill Handley and team leader for physiotherapy Pauline Sabel were delighted that Mr Wanstall came back to share his trophy with them.

Mrs Handley, from Tenbury, said: "Over a cup of tea we asked Norman if it was true he'd once won a Hollywood Oscar for his work on the James Bond film.

"He told us a wonderful story about winning the trophy, and after he'd described his trip to Los Angeles and all the stars he'd met, we all felt as if we'd met someone famous!"

Mr Wanstall said: "I was really impressed with the way I was treated and the nurses who looked after me were fantastic.

"When they asked if they could see the award my immediate reaction was that they deserved to be Oscar winners for a day, so we arranged a time and I proudly photographed my three stars."

By Sophie Bignall