The medical director of the Hospice of St Francis has said she was “absolutely honoured and delighted” to receive an MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honour list.

Kings Langley resident Dr Rosalind Taylor was given the award for services to hospice care.

The Hospice of St Francis provides specialist care for people with a terminal illness free of charge to patients and their families, and needs more than £3 million a year to run.

She said: "I am absolutely honoured and delighted to receive an MBE and would like to pay tribute to the hundreds of people who have supported me along my hospice journey over the last 17 years.

"The Hospice of St Francis has grown from a small local hospice to a leading centre for palliative care and teaching, now reaching far and wide, in terms of care and impact.

"None of these developments would have been possible without the extraordinary hard work, talent and commitment of our staff and many, many hospice volunteers.

"Equally, none of this would have been possible without the generosity of literally thousands of people who support our work in so many ways."

Dr Taylor said she was hoping to use the honour to continue to raise the hospice’s profile.

She added: "My work has been inspired by the patients and their families who have faced illness and loss with resilience and humour, shared their stories with me and have shown me the value of hospice care and the difference it has made.

"It is this courage in the face of tragedy and sadness that has made me realise how important it is to support people at the most difficult time of their lives.

"It is these stories that have fuelled my passion to ensure that hospice care is sustained and available to all those who need it."