A DEDICATED member of the Countess of Chester Hospital’s endoscopy team was ‘deeply honoured’ to have been chosen to meet King Charles at Buckingham Palace for a prestigious event honouring internationally recruited nurses.

Vincent Obita, who has worked in the endoscopy department for just over two years, was nominated by his colleagues to attend the royal gathering on the King’s 75th birthday, which was held to shine a light on those who have made extraordinary contributions to their professions since their recruitment.

Nurses from only five Trusts in the North West, including the Countess of Chester Hospital, attended the event, which is a huge testament to Vincent’s achievements.

A highly knowledgeable, compassionate, and popular nurse, Vincent is thought extremely highly of by his colleagues in the endoscopy team and was recently highly commended for the Nurse of the Year accolade at the Trust’s Celebration of Achievement Awards.

He played a key part in welcoming internationally trained nurses to the Countess, taking part in several induction activities and giving talks and presentations about adapting to life in the UK as a new nurse.

It was partly due to Vincent’s hard work with helping international nurses that the 29-year-old’s colleagues felt his important contribution to his team merited an invitation to the royal event.

Nominations were open to internationally educated nurses and midwives at various stages of their careers who their colleagues believe deserve special recognition for their extraordinary contributions to their job.

Despite not getting chance to speak to the King personally, Kenya native Vincent had a ‘wonderful experience’ at the event.

“I was really excited and deeply honoured by the nomination to attend the reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by His Majesty, The King,” he said.

“This was a hugely special occasion, and I am grateful for the opportunity to represent the International Nursing team. We had a great time interacting with the Royals on the King’s special birthday. It was a wonderful experience and I got a chance to meet various nurses from different parts of the world.

“I was happy to represent the values that have led to this nomination and am delighted by everyone who made this experience possible."