I wore a double hat of ex-patient and current governor to meet HRH the Earl of Wessex last week at the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Salisbury Spinal Unit. Given my generally blasé attitude, I was bemused to find myself surprisingly excited to meet a real Prince.
But what really interests me about the Royals is the wider purpose they can serve. They add credibility and publicity to institutions. There were a fair few reporters around and in this age of "choose and book", Salisbury Hospital needs to keep itself in the public eye. Edward's visit will gain a few column inches and perhaps more patients will opt to come to Salisbury rather than another nearby hospital. Every little helps.
And there's always the feel-good factor. People were thrilled to meet the Prince and were delighted he'd come. His presence (and enthusiasm) was recognition for and endorsement of all the extraordinary work staff have done over the past twenty five years to make the Spinal Unit what it is today. I think they deserve every single ounce of such recognition. It's amazing to think that when the Spinal Unit opened 25 years ago, the alternative specialist Units were hundreds of miles away. Even now, Salisbury has a catchment of eleven million for spinal cord injury. Provision is still limited, and the specialisms that Salisbury offers - especially the Wessex Rehab Workshop where you can build things at the same time as healing - are even more rare.
