Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) is urging people to shine a light for nurses on International Nurses Day tonight (Tuesday).
The day recognises the ‘extraordinary work of nurses who are fighting against coronavirus’ and marks the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale, who founded modern nursing and pioneered infection control.
The CCG is joining senior nursing leaders across the country, who will shine a light from their windows at 8.30pm, to show their appreciation for nurses who are saving and rebuilding the lives of coronavirus patients across the world.
Thousands of former nurses have come out of retirement to help the NHS with ‘the greatest health emergency in its history’, as well as thousands more students who have chosen to take up extended clinical placements in the fight against Covid-19.
An image of Florence Nightingale and a message of thanks will be projected on to her place of work, St Thomas’s Hospital in London, from the Houses of Parliament, as well as the British Embassy in Rome and the Italian Federation of Nurses, all between 9-11pm.
Director of Nursing and Quality at the CCG, Rosi Shepherd, said: “It’s important that we take opportunities like International Day Of The Nurse to celebrate the contribution that nurses make to our communities and recognise the essential role our highly-skilled nurses play in all health and care settings, especially during this particularly challenging time.
“I encourage everyone to take the time to show their appreciation for our local nurses, both past and present, by joining this event this evening.”
Since Florence Nightingale founded the first nursing school in London, nurses now work on hospital wards, are out in the community, work in care homes and academia, run hospitals and develop policy surrounding their role.
The CCG, which plans, buys and monitors the majority of healthcare services for more than 900,000 people living in the area, is appealing to people to sign-up as nurses in the district, as they have ‘never been more needed’ as during the pandemic.
To join the CCG as a nurse, visit www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/nursing-careers
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