Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust proudly celebrated the compassion and commitment of its nurses on International Nurses Day (12 May). Fiona Allsop, chief nurse, praised her team and thanked them for providing consistent, quality care and support to patients and their families.
Fiona said: “International Nurses’ Day provides the perfect opportunity for us to celebrate the fantastic work of our nursing team and showcase what they do so well. I want to thank all of our nurses and nursing assistants for their hard work and commitment during some particularly challenging times. I am very proud of all of them as it is their outstanding care and compassion which makes such a positive difference to the health and well-being of patients and their families and this is reflected in feedback we receive.”
- “The nurse who took my blood and gave me pain relief was exceptional…she was professional and friendly but most of all she really cared about how I was and that shone through.” – Patient: emergency department.
- “The two nurses on duty on the two days I was on the ward were superb. From first thing on the Saturday morning they came to me, introduced themselves, made me feel comfortable, always checking I was ok and not in too much pain, keeping me informed of my operation time, and genuinely caring about me and the other patients on the ward. Thank you.” – Patient: Tandridge ward.
- “There was one nurse who always had a smile. She seemed to sense when l was feeling low and would go out of her way to cheer me up. She would come in with a cup of tea, ask me how I was feeling and sit down and listen.” – Patient: Godstone ward.
Over 1700 nurses, nursing assistants, midwives and student nurses were invited to attend the annual Nurses Day event. The event took place at East Surrey Hospital which hosted a forum of prominent speakers from the nursing profession including Jacqueline McKenna, deputy director of nursing at NHS improvement and Paul Jebb, experience of care professional lead, NHS England.
International Nurses Day is held annually on 12 May – a date selected to coincide with the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale. It is a worldwide event that marks the invaluable contribution nurses make to people’s lives every day.
