Twenty nurses from across the Trust were invited to a reception hosted by the Tony Blair and his wife in the gardens of no 10 Downing Street on 3rd July.

More than a hundred nursing staff from around the country gathered in the garden of Number 10 as the Prime Minister paid tribute to their dedication.

Among them was Dave Robinson, a nurse from the Trust working in the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service in Buckinghamshire, and Jill Addis, a Practice Development Nurse working in adult services in Oxford.

Dave was nominated for improving access for young people with substance misuse problems to testing and immunisation relating to blood borne viruses and said of his visit:

“My day at No 10 was a memorable experience I will never forget. It was the opportunity of a life time. The reception was held in the garden of No 10 which was beautiful and the weather was superb. We were also shown around the state rooms and the cabinet room. I spoke briefly to Tony Blair and his wife and the day was most enjoyable.”

As well as Tony and Cherie Blair, Patricia Hewitt was also on hand to talk to nurses at the event.

Praising their work, the PM told the nurses:

“It’s a very tough area that you work in, and just occasionally you should know… just how deeply appreciated you all are. Because our National Health Service, in fact the country itself, would fall to bits without you.”