Yorkshire Ambulance Service paramedic is personally thanked by Prince William in phone call to discuss mental health of frontline workers

Matondo Manzeninga, who is part of the Trust’s A&E Operations team attending emergencies across the region, spoke to His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge in a one-to-one earlier this month in a move from the Royal family to express their thanks to key workers.

The Duke and Mr Manzeninga also discussed the pressures faced by NHS and emergency service workers during the Covid-19 crisis, and the importance of mental health and wellbeing.

A keen advocate for openness around mental health, the Duke asked Mr Manzeninga how he and his colleagues had been coping over the past year, and paid compliments to the efforts of paramedics and ambulance drivers.

“It was a great opportunity and a real privilege to speak with His Royal Highness, Prince William and I was proud to represent Yorkshire Ambulance Service " said Mr Manzeninga, who is based with YAS in Leeds.

“The Duke was really complimentary about the work being carried out by ambulance services amid the pandemic. Everyone has been working so hard to provide high quality care for patients and keep them safe so it was rewarding to see these efforts recognised at this level.”

Mr Manzeninga has been a qualified paramedic since 2017, but said he has ambitions of doing it as a career since he was 15.

Speaking previously about his job, he said: “I love every minute of the job. Every day, every incident and every patient is different and that’s great. The job tests me and pushes me to think on the spot and I get a real buzz from that.”