The former Secretary of Kendal Civic Society has praised the NHS for its excellent care following a nasty fall.

On June 26 2023, 88-year-old Patricia Hovey MBE suffered a very heavy fall at her home in Kendal in the middle of the night. The incident left her very confused and shaken with a broken wrist.

The mum-of-two was eventually rescued by paramedics thanks to the alarm button she was wearing. She was brought to Lancaster Royal Infirmary and eventually to Ward 22 for the Frail and Elderly.

Mrs Hovey still remains in the hospital to let her arm set in the plaster cast and is set to be discharged soon. 

Luckily, she hasn't required any hospital care where she has to stay overnight before and has been very impressed with her stay under the NHS.

The retired teacher decided to write to Aaron Cummins, Chief Executive of University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation (UHMB) Trust, the Telegraph newspaper and the Westmorland Gazette.

Mrs Hovey said: "There is so much negative reporting on the parlous state of the NHS, but here in the far north, we have a shining example of the service at its very best.

The Westmorland Gazette: Part of Mrs Hovey's letter written to The Telegraph to praise the NHS

"I have been kept on the ward until my arm is healed and due to go home shortly, so I have witnessed the many challenges faced and met by workforce, stretched to the limit and never made to feel a burden.

"I have been treated with kindness and patience, even in the middle of the night."

"Nurses and doctors are without exception, kind and caring. The whole place is kept spotless by a cheerful band of cleaners and the catering team work miracles to provide varied and appetising meals, beautifully presented.

"Visitors are made welcome; in fact I shall be sorry when I am well enough to go home.

"If a small hospital in this corner of the northwest can provide this level of care, surely it should be the norm."

Mrs Hovey was secretary of Kendal Civic Society for 43 years and her tireless work to protect the town’s heritage led to an MBE.

She and her late husband, Robert, volunteered with the Samaritans and helped guide blind skiers. She also volunteered at Kendal’s Oxfam shop for many years and became a greeter at church after a painful back injury meant she could no longer lead history walks around town.