Tribute to ‘angels’ of the NHS on display in St Oswald’s
A POEM paying tribute to the area’s NHS nurses and the support they gave during the pandemic has been unveiled in St Oswald’s Hospital.
Ashbourne-based poet Neil Sessions was guest of honour at a special ceremony to unveil the display in the reception area, which ensures all visitors can see the four-verse poem as they walk in to the Clifton Road hospital.
Called NHS Nurses, the poem has been wall-mounted and it was unveiled by Ashbourne mayor Martin Spencer. A smaller version of the poem has also been mounted on the first-floor Okeover ward.
Neil, a member of the befriending charity Careline, which is based at the hospital, says he wrote the poem as part of a collection written in memory of his late wife, Isabel Margaret Sessions.
He said: “I hope that my poems bring joy and solace to those who read them – from the nurses and medics for whom I wrote NHS Nurses – to everyone else.
“It’s my way of reaching out to people. I write from the heart and it has been an amazing and cathartic process.”
Jane Warder, interim chief operating officer for Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, which runs St Oswald’s Hospital, said: “Through his poetry, Neil has given us these uplifting words of support for frontline carers and we are delighted to have these heartfelt verses displayed in the hospital for everyone to read.
“We are immensely grateful for the way the Careline team supports people who are experiencing loneliness.
“There is lots of research about the adverse impact of loneliness on people’s health and wellbeing, so Careline really is complementing the work of the NHS in a very tangible way.
“It was very touching to hear Neil read his poem at the unveiling ceremony, and it is a reminder that the impact of Covid has not gone away.”
Neil’s poetry collection, called Through My Eyes, is available from Careline at St Oswald’s Hospital, with the proceeds raised going directly to the charity. They are also available at Connex Community Support in King Edward Street.
Careline is a registered charity which offers a free telephone befriending service to people living in the Derbyshire Dales and East Staffordshire.
To find out more, visit www. carelinecalling.co.uk.