HRH The Earl of Wessex reviews the Chelsea Pensioners at the annual Founder’s Day Parade
8th June 2017
The Chelsea Pensioners have paraded at the Royal Hospital Chelsea's Founder's Day on 8 June, reviewed by His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex.
The annual event, which commemorates the founding of the home of the Chelsea Pensioners in 1682 by King Charles II, was made extra poignant as the Royal Hospital celebrates its 325th anniversary in 2017. Furthermore, since last year's Founder's Day, the Royal Hospital has recieved an award of 'Outstanding' status by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Read more about that here.
The Governor of the Royal Hospital General Sir Redmond Watt thanked HRH the Earl of Wessex for reviewing the Chelsea Pensioners on parade.
In his address to the Earl of Wessex, the Chelsea Pensioners and spectators, he went on to say: “The grading of the Margaret Thatcher Infirmary as ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is formal acknowledgement of the hard work of all our staff dedicated to the care and wellbeing of the Chelsea Pensioners. It also demonstrates the very real difference that the Royal Hospital makes to the lives of Army veterans. We want to encourage and support our Pensioners to live independently for as long as possible.”
The Royal Hospital is now preparing to care for Army veterans of the future, whose mental and physical health needs are likely to be much more complex. After being awarded ‘Outstanding’ status from the CQC (an accolade that only 7% of Care Homes across the country are awarded) the Hospital is seeking to share its knowledge with other veterans’ organisations and would like to provide guidance and help for veterans living in care homes across the nation. Loneliness is a big factor in declining health, and the Royal Hospital would like to support our peers in health and social care. By sharing our knowledge, we hope to prevent older veterans from becoming increasingly lonely and isolated, and to live better lives for longer.
