The Princess Royal received a warm welcome as she toured Medway Maritime Hospital Wednesday afternoon in Gillingham.
During her visit, the Princess met with Vice-Lord Lieutenant of Kent Richard Oldfield and the Mayor of Medway, Councillor Habib Tejan (Con).
The Princess visited staff working in the emergency department as well as the maternity unit. Anne serves as the current patron of the Royal College of Midwives and the Royal College of Emergency Medicine.
Anne was greeted by the trust’s chief, James Devine who greeted the midwifery patron and guided her into the reception area.
Devine said, “We were delighted and proud to welcome The Princess Royal to our hospital. It has been a fantastic 12 months for the Trust.”
Devine went on to add, “Phase one of the development of our new £11.5 million Emergency Department development was completed last year. Phase two is due to be completed shortly, and phase three will begin in April 2020.”
Phase one included the opening of seven new resuscitation bays, four Rapid Assesment Area bays, and four newly-built ‘majors’ bays to treat both ambulance and walk-in patients. There is also now a dedicated entrance for ambulance crews.
In March, the hospital’s midwives won an award for the Midwifery Services of the Year at the Royal College of Midwives Awards.
“We have a lot to be proud of!” Devine said.
Two plaques were revealed to commemorate Anne’s visit.
The last member of the Royal Family to visit the hospital was The Countess of Wessex who opened Abigail’s Place, the Trust’s maternity bereavement suite. That engagement was in April of 2017.
The Princess Royal’s visit comes weeks after her mother, Her Majesty The Queen went to meet veterans at the Royal British Legion Village in Aylesford last month. That visit was to celebrate the site’s 100th anniversary.
