Happy International Nurses Day

Today we celebrate the International Nurse Day (IND). This day marks the 201st birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale.

Nurses are the heart of the healthcare workforce, looking after people in hospitals and at homes making sure we are safe. Midwives are also being celebrated as part of the day.

They have made a lot of sacrifices during lockdown while lots of us were staying at home.

On this important day, we pause, reflect, celebrate and acknowledge the incredible work that nurses do and continue to do particularly amid the global COVID-19 pandemic, when so many continue to go above and beyond.

This pandemic has shown the world the important role that nurses and midwives play to maintain the healthcare ecosystem. 

To all nurses who are just turning up with a coffee, bleary eyed and heading home to sleep after a long night, those who will show up for the afternoon shift and those on a mid week day off - Thank you. 

Every day you show up you improve the day for someone else. I have known so many inspirational nurses throughout my career and feel blessed to work beside the great team I am with now.

I love this picture from ICN- for me the heart says it all. Nurses are the heart of healthcare.

Your commitment and the dedication of many in the nursing profession is noticed and we are grateful. We remember the nurses who died as a result of COVID-19 and mourn them and send condolences to their families and colleagues.

We encourage nurses and all who support them to take time to pause, reflect, celebrate and thank themselves and their colleagues. We recognise and admire the work of nurses. We thank every nurse for their dedication. 

Throughout the pandemic nurses have put themselves at risk to help save lives.

Nurses offer kindness, compassion, and life-saving care to people across the world.

Thank you to each one of you, individually and collectively.