NHS staff arranged a surprise reunion for a former nurse as she spent her 96th birthday in hospital.

Great-great-grandmother Elizabeth Ross had mentioned the big day was coming up and said how sad she was not to be able to spend it with her beloved husband John.

She is the sole carer of her 97-year-old partner, who is currently staying in an assessment centre while she is in Medway Maritime in Gillingham with a broken hip following a fall at home.

It is the longest time the couple, who live in Chatham, have spent apart since they were married on August 17, 1949.

In the hope of putting a smile on her face, ward matron Penny Horton and acting ward manager Sarah Burton arranged for John to be brought to the hospital so he could join her.

A surprise birthday tea party was arranged and held in the ward’s day room last Wednesday (October 2).

Staff laid on sandwiches, cake and other nibbles.

Four of the couple’s five children, as well as some of their 13 grandchildren and other family members, were there to watch the emotional reunion.

The hospital’s chief operating officer Nick Sinclair and associate director of patient experience Nikki Lewis, also attended and gave Elizabeth a potted plant as a present.

Elizabeth had worked as an auxiliary nurse at Sheppey General Hospital on the Island for 25 years.

The great-great-grandmother turned 96 last Friday (October 4) and proudly wore a birthday sash.

She said: “It was beautiful. I can’t thank the staff enough for what they did for me.

“Apart from when John was in the Navy, this is the longest time we have been apart from one another since we got married.

“When I go home we will be going home together.”

Jayne Black, chief executive of Medway NHS Foundation Trust, added: “Happy birthday to Elizabeth and a huge thank you to everyone who arranged this very special event to ensure she got to see her beloved husband John ahead of her birthday.

“I see great care from staff towards our patients every day but this is a shining example of how they really do go above and beyond when it comes to the mental wellbeing of patients during their stay with us.

“I know the event meant a lot to the family and that it helped to put a smile on Elizabeth’s face, as well as John’s and their loved ones’, during a difficult time for the family.

“We wish Elizabeth a speedy recovery and hope that both she and John are back in the comfort of their own home again soon.”