On International Nurses’ Day, today (12 May) Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (SASH) celebrated the vital work by nursing staff and midwives in making a difference to patient care.
East Surrey Hospital hosted a visit by special guest Sue Doheny, regional chief nurse for NHS England and NHS Improvement, who met with nurses and midwives on a tour of the hospital.
Fiona Allsop, chief nurse at SASH, said: “We are delighted that Sue chose to visit our Trust on International Nurses’ Day to see the fantastic work done by our teams of nursing assistants, nurses and midwives.
“They continue to make a huge difference to the lives of hundreds of patients at SASH on a daily basis at a time when demand on the NHS has risen.
“It is a special day to recognise the immense value that nurses and midwives add to the care of patients both in the UK and internationally.”
Sue Doheny gave a presentation on nursing in the future, touching on the influences of technology, workforce and population, as well as the image and pride of nursing and midwifery. Sue also awarded The Care Certificate and badge to nine nursing assistants. The Care Certificate is a nationally recognised set of skills, knowledge and behaviours across 15 standards of care set by Health Education England.
Sue said: “I was impressed with the dedication and hard work shown by nursing teams at SASH. It was a pleasure to be able to present the nursing assistants with their Care Certificates, which recognise their commitment to providing compassionate, safe and high quality care and support.”
Patients were invited to write comments on posters at SASH sites at East Surrey Hospital, Crawley Hospital and Horsham Hospital, expressing how nurses and midwives have made a difference to them. They included:
- ‘Without nurses where would we all be? They have helped my dad in so many ways. Thank you to all nurses’
- ‘All staff were extremely wonderful and professional in their care and compassion when treating my mother.’
- ‘The nurses were the kindest people and really made a difference to my father’s recovery.’
- ‘The nurse made me a cup of tea and helped me to drink it.’
Nurses across SASH were invited to post comments about who, or what inspired them to become a nurse:
- ‘My mum inspired me to become a nurse. She is passionate, caring and everyday her goal is to make a difference to one person each day’
- ‘Nursing runs in the family and since I was a little girl I always wanted to be a nurse and never looked back’
- ‘I wanted to do something to help people and I have always liked science. Nursing is the perfect mix’
