Nurse who attended NHS commemoration service describes 'humbling and amazing day'

Jilly Hassall, acting senior infection prevention and control (IPC) lead at Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), was nominated to attend a special service on Monday.

The service, attended by The Duke of Cambridge, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Labour leader Keir Starmer, aimed to celebrate the contribution of NHS staff and volunteers to the country during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Jilly said: “Just to be nominated was an absolute honour. I am so proud to be a nurse.

“I was invited to sit in the Dome in the VIP area and was close to Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, Chris Whitty and Jonathan Van-Tam.

“I was just in awe of the whole occasion. The service was beautiful and was really balanced between those who had lived through terrible personal times to the nurse who gave the first vaccination.”

Jilly said there were real moments of reflection too when she was thinking about that she was nominated for her work during one of the worse periods of her 41-year nursing career.

“When we came out of St Paul’s Cathedral everybody was clapping and at first I didn’t realise that the clapping was for us," she said.

Jilly, who joined the NHS in 1980 and the CCG in 2013, was seconded to the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) to support their IPC team at the beginning of the pandemic.

She led the CCG’s response to the NHS England/Improvement chief nurse's call to action, in particular working with providers to support the most vulnerable people in care homes and in receipt of domiciliary care.

Zena Young, executive director of nursing and quality at the CCG, said: “I am delighted that Jilly was invited by the national team to attend this important ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral.

"The event marks the 73rd anniversary of the NHS and this year is recognising the exceptional contributions of NHS staff during the pandemic over the last year.

“Jilly has worked tirelessly across our system to support organisations to deliver safe care during this unprecedented and exceptional time and it is great that she is being recognised for her contribution.”