Queen Okesola attends a reception at Buckingham Palace

Posted by Devon Partnership Trust in #ProudofDPT, Events and conferences, Mental health, News, Nursing on 24th January, 2024

Last year 400 international nurses and midwives were invited by King Charles III to a Reception at Buckingham Palace in celebration of their contribution to the UK’s health and Social Care sector.

We are proud that Queen Okesola, one of our Mental Health Nurse Practitioners, received an invitation to attend the Reception, which took place on Thursday 14 November, in recognition of her dedication to the NHS and for her work supporting the Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs) working within our organisation.

Speaking about the day Queen said: “The day of the Reception was a momentous occasion for me! A lifetime opportunity to be recognised and celebrated at Buckingham Palace by His Majesty King Charles III for my valuable contribution as an International Educated Nurse in the NHS. I was astonished to receive the email invitation first as I was not expecting anything as extraordinary as that! But it became a reality when the invitation and other details of the event arrived at my door by post. It elicited feelings of honour, pride and a sense of validation for my hard work and dedication to healthcare.

“It was a colourful day! I met the King himself and shook hands with him twice. Also, Dame Ruth May, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, Edward Cox and numerous other colleagues from different nationalities and colours. It was impossible for all the great, outstandingly brilliant IEN’s to attend the reception, the palace would not be able to occupy such a big crowd! So, myself and the 399 nurses who attended across the United Kingdom represented ourselves and all the other hardworking nurses out there.”

Our thanks to Queen for representing our organisation at such a prestigious event.

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Queen Okesola attends a reception at Buckingham Palace

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