Celebrating International Nurses Day 2023
On 12 May - the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birthday - the partnership celebrated diversity for International Nurses Day 2023.
For the day, partners shone a light on the value their international nurses bring to the communities they serve every day. Nurses across the partnership are united by the work they do here London, but it’s diversity that enriches us, makes us who we are and truly brings us together. This day was a chance for our partners to say thank you.
For 2023 the International Council of Nurses (ICN) launched the “Our Nurses. Our Future.” campaign to recognise the day. The Council also wanted the day to be a time to remember the many nurses and health care workers who lost their lives to COVID-19, now the World Health Organization has declared the end of the Global Health Emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ICN said:
“we take this opportunity to remind the world of the many achievements nurses have made, and the many sacrifices nurses are making every day to ensure that people have access to the health care that they need, even in the most inhospitable and sometimes dangerous situations that they find themselves in.
Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
At Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS FT, Haemophilia nurse Ronke Ajidahun’s love for nursing shone through in a cheerful video from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). Nursing for Ronke is about helping patients and helping her fellow nurses. In her work Ronke is a champion for her colleagues and in the video she said
How can my life, my story, help them to become better nurses for the future.
On Twitter the Trust shared their delight for Ronke’s star moment by sharing behind the scene’s photos and proudly highlighting Ronke’s excellent nursing background – especially her RCN Rising Star win from the previous year!
South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
At Bethlem Hospital the chapel bell rang to celebrate the contribution made by international nurses working at the Trust. The reach of the chapel bell tradition echoes the great impact which nurses make across the NHS.
David Bradley, Chief Executive of the Trust tweeted “The bell in the chapel at Bethlem Hospital has been ringing in celebration of the great work you do” and Chair, Sir Norman Lamb wrote “#HappyInternationalNurseDay from me as well – with heartfelt thanks to all our nurses!”
The Trust also shared interviews with the wonderful international nurses Siyabonga Mndzebele a nurse who moved from another mental health hospital in Eswatini to work at South London and Maudsley NHS FT and John Pazcoguin who wanted to work in London to progress his career, so he moved from the Philippines to reach his ambition. In the videos Siyabonga said “”as much as I am far away from home, I feel like I am at home”. John added “you can go to different places and on different placements that enable you to grow”.
King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Nurses at King’s College Hospital NHS FT understood the assignment, celebrating their international nursing colleagues with gorgeous cakes and cups of tea. At this wonderful event nursing teams from across the Trust came together to make new connections, share in their love of what they do and recognise the enormous value they provide.
On Twitter the Trust shared profiles from nurses across the Trust. Hermione Thompson, Matron in Sexual Health and HIV, spoke about what nursing means to her:
Providing the best care that I can to all patients without any discrimination. Every patient should receive equal care no matter who they are.
The Trust also published a conversation with nurse Minija Joseph to mark the day. In the conversation Minja spoke about what her experience working in the UK has been like since she moved from India. Minja thought about how much her career had developed since she started working with the NHS and she reflected on the successes she has had including the time she was nominated for the Nursing Times’ Nurse of the Year Award in 2016.
King’s College London
At King’s College London, they had a fantastic 5 minutes with Rianna John. Nurses so often selflessly take the time to get to know their patients, looking beyond the patient identity. This five minutes was an opportunity to return the favour, to get to know the nurse beyond the role. Rianna spoke about her proudest achievement and how she switches off when she needs a break from her work.
On behalf of all of us at King’s Health Partners we want to say thank you all for everything nurses and midwives do, to help not just your patients but your colleagues too! In recognition of International Nurses Day, we also want to add that without our International Nurses we could not do all we do to support the physical and mental health of our population in the way that we do. It is because of the excellent work you do that we can reach more people who need our help, amplify the voices of our communities, and help people to access the care and support they need when they are going through difficult times. We hope you know the difference you make; your work matters and we are grateful to have you working here as a part of our partnership!