Royal couple hear of challenges for staff on visit to ambulance station
THE DUKE and Duchess of Cambridge have visited an ambulance station in east London – and ended up FaceTiming a paramedic’s father in Bangladesh.
William and Kate chatted with staff at Newham Ambulance Station about their experiences of working during one of the most challenging periods in the London Ambulance Service’s history.
Paramedic Jay Khan asked the couple if it was okay to call her dad Abu in Bangladesh, who has been staying separated from his family since lockdown after his mother fell ill.
William told Abu: “You must be very proud of your daughter.” Abu replied: “Yes, we are all very proud of her.”
The Royals also joined a call with Jay’s sister Nasrin and grandfather Baharam in the UK.
William told them: “She works very hard and she’s looking forward to seeing you soon.”
Kate said: “Hopefully it won’t be too long before you can all meet up and see each other again.”
The couple laughed as Jay told her family: “Say bye now. Let them go.” William quipped: “We can stay here and do some more family chatting if that works?”
William and Kate joined Jay in the station’s Wellbeing Garden to hear how she has coped with the pressures of responding to the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of having to isolate from her family.
They also met paramedic Shani Smith who has been helping to run one of the special tea trucks to serve ambulance staff and medics over the past year, and heard how she has used her mental health training to provide peer support to her colleagues.
Shani said this was the worst time she had ever experienced.
“It’s been like one long major incident,” she said.
She works very hard and she’s looking forward to seeing you soon. The Duke of Cambridge, speaking to the sister and grandfather of paramedic Jay Khan.