Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit east London ambulance station…and FaceTime paramedic’s dad in Bangladesh

While chatting to ambulance workers and paramedics about their experiences of working through the pandemic, Jahrin (Jay) Khan requested if it was okay to name her dad Abu.

She then FaceTimed him in Bangladesh the place he has been staying separated from his household  because the lockdown after his mom turned sick.

William mentioned: “You should be very proud of your daughter.”

Abu mentioned: “Yes we’re all very proud of her.”

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Then Jay’s sister Nasrin and granddad Baharam in the UK.

The couple spoke to workers in regards to the issues they confronted throughout one of essentially the most difficult durations in the London Ambulance Service’s historical past.

William and Kate joined paramedic Jay in the Station’s Wellbeing Garden to listen to how she has coped with the pressures of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, and together with influence of having to isolate from her household.

They additionally met paramedic Shani Smith who has been serving to to run one of the particular tea vans to serve ambulance workers and medics over the previous 12 months, and heard how she has used her psychological well being coaching to offer peer assist to her colleagues.

Shani, who has labored for the service for over 20 years, mentioned this was the worst time she had skilled.

“It’s been like one lengthy main incident.”

During the visit, the couple have been pictured standing in entrance of a “Healing Hurt” coronary heart mural – full with a crown.

The avenue artwork – in the station’s wellbeing backyard – featured a pink coronary heart mended with two plasters, beneath a golden crown, and above the phrases in capitals “Healing Hurt”.

The vibrant murals have been by avenue artwork group Art Under The Hood.

The couple speak with the household of paramedic Jay Khan by way of a cell phone

/ PA

The couple additionally heard extra in regards to the psychological well being and wellbeing assist offered to workers on the Station, together with drop-in classes and wellbeing areas, alongside some of the broader initiatives offered by the London Ambulance Service together with their fleet of Wellbeing Tea Trucks.

Launched in February 2020, the tea vans journey to hospitals and management centres throughout the capital every day, serving scorching drinks and snacks to ambulance workers and volunteers and providing them the possibility to take a second to pause and refresh.

The vans additionally permit workers who’re at the moment unable to work in patient-facing roles the chance to present again to their frontline colleagues. Covering the boroughs of Newham and Waltham Forest, Newham Station types half of the second busiest station group in the London Ambulance Service having attended over 76,500 calls over the previous 12 months.

William is dedicated to supporting the psychological well being and wellbeing of the emergency providers neighborhood, having witnessed first-hand the challenges that emergency responders face every day throughout his roles as each an Air Ambulance and RAF Search and Rescue pilot.

Over the final 12 months, William and Kate and The Royal Foundation have labored to assist these engaged on the frontline of the pandemic, together with by way of the supply of grants to 10 main charities on the coronary heart of psychological well being and frontline assist as half of a bespoke COVID aid fund.

The London Ambulance Service has obtained £100,000 of funding from NHS Charities Together, of which the couple are joint Patrons, to allow them to proceed to run the vans and develop their provision in order to fulfill the wants of crew and volunteers throughout this difficult time. The funding has additionally been used to create isolation packs and meals for workers throughout LAS websites.

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