Care home director who inspired Kate Middleton gets Buckingham Palace invite

A care home director who helped demoralised care workers and residents in the pandemic and inspired the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton to launch a photography exhibition, has been honoured with an invite to Buckingham Palace.

Nicola Richards, director of Palms Row Health Care group, which runs Northfield Nursing Home and Westbourne House in Sheffield, was invited to a garden party at Buckingham Palace on 25 May in recognition of her efforts to boost the mental wellbeing of care staff and residents in the pandemic.

In 2020, a photograph taken at Palms Row care home inspired Kate Middleton to launch a new exhibition to capture the 'resilience, bravery and kindness' of the nation during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The palace garden party was hosted by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on behalf of the Queen.

After getting her invite, Nicola Richards said: “It’s not every day that an invitation from Buckingham Palace lands on your doormat.

“It was a huge honour to attend the Queen’s garden party yesterday and I am delighted that the work we do at Palms Row is being recognised in this way.”

Hailed a champion of care workers in the North of England, Ms Richards is chair of the Sheffield Care Association and founder of Support for Social Care Heroes (SSCH), which was launched in the pandemic to improve the working conditions of frontline social care staff.

During the event, Ms Richards delivered a Platinum Jubilee card for Her Majesty the Queen which had been handmade by 90-year-old Northfield Nursing Home resident Jean Horton.

The care home director has regularly spoken out about the "unimaginable heartache" felt by care staff during the pandemic which led to a huge rise in mental illness among care home staff.

The director's experiences during the pandemic prompted her to set up Support Social Care Heroes, an organisation which aims to protect and improve the health and wellbeing of social care workers.

“The past two years have been extremely challenging with carers often left feeling overlooked and demoralised. I will continue to speak up for the sector and its legion of dedicated employees, who are essential to the lives of millions of vulnerable people around the UK”, added Ms Richards.

click here for more details or to contact Palms Row Health Care Ltd