Prince William recommends that NHS employees take a mandatory break from work to safeguard their mental well-being as he observes the 5th anniversary of the Covid outbreak at Royal Berkshire Hospital.

The Prince of Wales proposed that NHS staff should have an ‘enforced career break’ to protect their mental wellbeing during a hospital visit today. 

Prince William, 43, visited the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading on Wednesday, where he met with charity workers to witness the impact of the contributions made by NHS Charities Together since the onset of the pandemic five years ago.

The charity initiated its fundraising efforts at the beginning of the Covid crisis in 2020 and has since been providing assistance to NHS workers, patients, and communities nationwide.

At a gathering to listen to the experiences of healthcare professionals dealing with the pandemic, William proposed the idea of mandatory career breaks for NHS staff to support their mental well-being.

William, a former air ambulance helicopter pilot, told a small group of NHS staff who use the facility: ‘Everyone in the NHS is there to care for others so the last person who gets looked after is the individual. 

‘I’ve seen that when I’ve worked with doctors, nurses, paramedics – they always put it down the line, they don’t want to put their workload on to someone else – how do you go around identifying the right people?

‘Because for me, looking into the nation’s mental health, if you like, over the last few years, unless there’s almost an enforced break in somebody’s career – as part of your career development – we’re never going to get to the point where we can look after their mental health, because you always rely on the individual to put their hand up.’

William visited the Oasis Health and Wellbeing Centre and garden at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading which, five years ago to the day – March 5, recorded the first person to die after testing positive for coronavirus.

He chatted to staff from the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust who were on the front line of the Covid-19 pandemic, and listened as one senior nurse became emotional when he described not visiting his elderly parents in Italy for two years to protect them during the outbreak.

The prince visited the trust’s centre in his role as royal patron of NHS Charities Together which provided a portion of the funds needed to renovate the resource that has a gym, yoga classes and a garden providing spaces for recreation, reflection and vegetable growing.

NHS Charities Together launched its Covid-19 Urgent Appeal in 2020 and raised £162 million to support NHS staff, patients and communities, working with a network of 235 NHS charities based in every Trust and Health Board around the UK.

Sergio Tammelleo, 33, a lead nurse who worked on a Covid ward during the pandemic, had told William about not seeing his family in Italy for a number of years and after the visit talked about his harrowing pandemic experiences.

He said: ‘I remember there were days when we had 15, 20 deaths in a day and that still affects me.

‘If you think about somebody who comes to the ward and within four or five hours will pass away, die, that is something that will never go away, it will stay in my mind forever.’

Later, William toured the garden and was shown an area where staff have their lunch and an open space turned over to wildlife with a pond where workers can sit quietly, and he paused for a few minutes at two trees dedicated to two members of staff who died during the pandemic.

The prince chatted to a group of senior medical staff who worked during the pandemic to hear about their experiences and at the end of the discussion told them: ‘Remember you’re doing a really good job. Thank you.’

The Trust in Reading has a connection with the Princess of Wales, also a royal patron of NHS Charities Together, who was born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital on January 9, 1982.

Mr Tammelleo, suggested the work his trust is doing to support staff could be adopted by other hospitals: ‘Having a building helps a lot because you can group all the health and wellbeing activities in this building and it’s something I think other trusts should also try.

‘We found it helps especially after some traumatic events with staff debriefing and discussions.

‘You find that people open up and will start talking a lot more, not just about that event.’

The Prince and Princess of Wales became royal patrons of NHS Charities Together in December 2020, visiting the hospital later that month.

William looked smart this afternoon as he arrived at the Reading-based hospital sporting a typically sophisticated but casual ensemble.

Dressing appropriately for the bright March weather, William stepped out in a pale blue shirt and pair of navy chinos.

He completed the look with a stylish grey checkered jacket suit jacket, accessoring the look with a chic silver watch.

During the visit, the prince was given a tour of the Health and Wellbeing Centre and Garden, which provides a number of activities to support staff wellbeing; boasting a free gym, designated green space and wellbeing classes.

William met with both current staff who are benefiting from the new resources, and those who were working the frontlines during the pandemic.

He was pictured listening intently as he chatted with NHS staff, as they shared details of their incredible achievements of the last five years.

According to reviews on the new space, the wellbeing resources have significantly boosted morale among staff and the Trust has been awarded high ratings of staff wellbeing. 

The charity began seeking funds at the start of the pandemic in an effort to cope with the mounting workloads of healthcare providers and to secure necessary supplies for those who were working on the frontlines.

Within the first five days of its appeal, the charity had already raised £19 million and went on to raise an impressive total of £160 million. 

Royal Berkshire Hospital is also the place in which William’s wife, Kate, 43, was born in January 1982.

The Trust also lost two of their own staff members during the pandemic, Dr Peter Tun and Nurse Julie Edward, who have since have trees planted in the Oasis Centre garden in their memory.

Funds raised by the charity have supported nearly two thirds of all NHS staff, including offering workers counselling support, with more than 90 per cent of projects ongoing. 

The Reading-based hospital was also one of the first NHS Trusts to build a Long Covid Clinic, which was in part funded by NHS Charities Together.

It comes just days after the heir to the throne delivered a St David’s Day message entirely in Welsh, as he paid tribute to the ‘incredible’ people who live there.

Prince William, who spent the weekend in Pontypridd, South Wales, shared his well-wishes in a short clip on social media on Saturday morning.

When translated to English, he said: ‘Hello. Today, on St David’s Day, we come together to celebrate Wales — its history, its culture, and its incredible people. 

‘From its breathtaking landscapes to its language, Wales continues to inspire. 

‘Today, we will celebrate everything that is magical about Wales. To the people of Wales and everybody around the world, Happy St David’s Day.’

The clip was captioned: ‘Happy St David’s Day from The Prince of Wales’. 

The Prince of Wales, 42, wore a daffodil on the lapel of his jacket for the video – the national flower of Wales which is traditionally worn on St David’s Day.

St David is the patron saint of Wales, and his feast day falls on March 1 each year. It has been celebrated since the 12th century, when St David was canonised.

It is traditionally marked by those in Wales wearing daffodils and leeks, eating traditional Welsh foods and wearing traditional dress. 

Cities such as Cardiff, Swansea and Aberystwyth also typically hold parades.

William revealed in September 2022 that he was trying to learn the Welsh language, after being named Prince of Wales following the death of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II.

In 2024, he revealed he was using popular language app Duolingo to help him.

On a visit to Llanelli for a Welsh language youth festival, he said he had the language learning app, Duolingo, downloaded and that he was trying to learn Welsh ‘phonetically’. 

It’s been a busy few weeks for the future monarch who visited Cardiff last week alongside his wife, Kate Middleton, marking their first royal engagement in Wales for more than a year.

The visit, which came ahead of the nation’s annual celebration of St David’s Day, saw the royal couple rolling up their sleeves to have a go at making Welsh cakes.