Chai Brady
Hospital chaplains in the North have described the conferring of the George Cross to the NHS from Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II as “a great honour”.
The George Cross was awarded to the NHS to mark decades of public service, Buckingham Palace announced on Monday. It is the highest award for gallantry and heroism in the UK.
Fr Tony McAleese, chaplain at Mater hospital in Belfast said: “It’s fabulous, it’s a great honour to be awarded the cross. While I play a small part it is good to see that the NHS is being recognised for the valiant work that they are doing and have done, especially in the year where they celebrated such a great milestone.”
One year
The NHS marked 73 years of existence on Monday, following more than a year of tackling the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It’s nice that there is some kind of recognition from Her Majesty to show that the hard work isn’t unrecognised,” Fr McAleese added.
Fr Henry McCann, Chaplain to the Ulster Hospital, Dundonald, said that the NHS are “very hard workers, maybe not as appreciated as they should be, so it’s lovely to think that at least they are being recognised for what they have come through”.
Speaking of dealing with the pandemic, he said: “It was a very stressful time for a lot of people… We as chaplains decided to stay in the hospital, not visiting one to one with patients unless we were called. We had noticed that staff were very anxious and afraid so we went around in pairs to the wards talking to staff trying to calm their fears, pray with them and have a little bit of banter.”
It is just the third time the George Cross has been awarded to a collective body, country or organisation since it was instituted by George VI during the blitz, 1940.
In a handwritten message, Queen Elizabeth II said: “It is with great pleasure, on behalf of a grateful nation, that I award the George Cross to the National Health Services of the United Kingdom.
“This award recognises all NHS staff, past and present, across all disciplines and all four nations. Over more than seven decades, and especially in recent times, you have supported the people of our country with courage, compassion and dedication, demonstrating the highest standards of public service. You have our enduring thanks and heartfelt appreciation. Elizabeth R.”