The Duke and Duchess are joint royal patrons of NHS Charities Together and heard about how the area was one of the country’s worst affected by Covid-19.

A £30,000 grant from NHS Charities Together allowed the hospital charity ELHT&Me to fund equipment and infrastructure for the staff wellbeing team, as well as the new therapy dog.

Professor Eileen Fairhurst, trust chairman, said the visit was “really uplifting for our staff”, adding it was a “real morale boost that their work has been recognised by this high profile visit”.

She added: “It’s testament to the hard work and commitment of all our colleagues in the trust in the real challenges and difficulties we have faced since the pandemic.

“We have been hardest hit in this part of the country and it has really not gone away.”