VETERANS welcomed Akshata Murty, the wife of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to the Royal Star and Garter in Solihull.
She was accompanied by Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst, Solihull West and Shirley MP and the home which cares for veterans and their spouses with disability or dementia.
Mrs Murty, whose husband Rishi Sunak was Prime Minister from 2022 to 2024 and is the Conservative Party leader and Leader of the Opposition, spoke to Royal Star and Garter staff, learned about the work of the charity, and watched in-house physiotherapy exercises and activity sessions.
During a tour of the Home, Mrs Murty watched veterans work out on adapted exercise bikes, visited a dementia care area, and then sat down for a chat and cup of tea with residents.
She was greeted by Royal Star and Garter chief executive Andy Cole, and home manager Katie McCauley, and learned about the dementia and nursing care provided, along with new services which tackle loneliness and isolation among the veteran community in Solihull and beyond.
This includes Day Care, Lunch Club and a free-to-use Telephone Friendship Service.
Mrs Murty also learned about the Veteran Friendly Framework, a nationwide project designed to deliver improved health and wellbeing outcomes to the 25,000 veterans living in care homes across England.
It is a collaboration between Royal Star and Garter, Royal British Legion and the NHS Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA – an NHS flagship Armed Forces programme), with funding support from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust.
Her visit to the Solihull Home came ahead of the Conservative Party Conference, which is taking place in Birmingham.
Mrs Murty said: “It was such a joy to meet residents and veterans at the Royal Star & Garter care home in Solihull with Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst MP.
“The team’s passion for providing compassionate, personalised care for veterans with dementia and disabilities was very clear to see and undoubtedly enhances the lives of all their residents. I look forward to coming back to visit in the future.”
Mr Cole said: “We were pleased to welcome Akshata Murty to our Home in Solihull, and to welcome back Neil Shastri-Hurst MP. Mrs Murty was able to chat extensively with our residents, see the outstanding care we provide, and learned about our new services which will help even more of the Armed Forces community.”
