Celebrating International Nurses’ Day 2022 at NCH&C
Community is the #BestOfNursing: celebrating International Nurses’ Day at NCH&C
Thursday 12 May is International Nurses’ Day.
Held every year on the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birthday, Nurses’ Day is a global celebration of the contribution and commitment delivered by our amazing nurses.
Nurses’ Day is an important date in NCH&C’s calendar, as it provides us with a much-needed opportunity to thank our nurses for their compassion and commitment.
The last two years have created some of the most difficult circumstances for nursing in living memory. The COVID-19 pandemic did not set up nurses for success, and yet they delivered excellent patient care in challenging environments.
Stephen Collman, Former Mental Health Nurse and CEO at NCH&C, expressed his thanks to the trust’s nursing staff:
“I know that every one of NCH&C’s nurses is driven by a passion to provide the best-possible patient care. I also know that the crisis conditions of the last two years have made it incredibly tricky to provide exceptional care, and this has been frustrating for many of you. However, I am so proud of what the trust’s nursing teams have achieved under very challenging circumstances. It may not have felt like it at the time, but your work demonstrated an amazing quality of care and compassion. As the trust moves forwards into business as usual, I know that our staff will continue to shine.”
The Royal College of Nurses declared the theme for Nurses’ Day 2022 is the #BestOfNursing.
Carolyn Fowler, Director of Nursing & Quality & NCH&C, shared her views on the theme:
“While all nurses are amazing, I think there is something truly special about community healthcare and those that work in it. Community nursing allows us to work closely with patients and their families, so you form the kinds of working relationships you can’t always develop in acute trusts or other environments. Our work allows patients to treat our patients’ and carers’ health holistically and as individuals, maximising independence, and living in their own homes – overall, it helps contribute to a greater quality of life for our patients. I am forever proud to be a nurse, and even prouder of our amazing workforce.”
Ahead of International Nurses’ Day, we asked our nursing colleagues to provide us with testimonials that represent why community is the #BestOfNursing. Here are their amazing stories…
Tanya Haines, Tissue Viability Nurse:
“I love to support patients in their own homes. I feel that providing care in the patient’s own home relives the worries and anxieties of travel and waiting at appointments as some of our patients can be very frail- we provide access to health services. I really like the relationships we build with our patients over time our knowing patients over time can help us help them in ways that matter to them.
“I have been working for NCH&C in the community for seven years and I have been very well supported through training opportunities and have been encouraged to develop and grow throughout that time. I am incredibly excited to be starting an MSc Pathway for Skin Integrity and Wound Management in September!”
Tracey Hayton, Community Learning Disabilities Nurse:
“I have been a Learning disabilities nurse for 28 years this year! Over my career as a nurse, I have met some truly inspirational families. There is always something new to learn and a new challenge to meet. The one thing that stands out for me over the years is that it is often the little things that people appreciate. Not the care plan or nursing assessment, but that call you made to check in on them. I always feel lucky to work in a service where we have the time to make this small difference to people’s lives.”
Emma Fox, Community Staff Nurse:
“Community nursing allows you to truly embrace holistic assessment and care, promoting and supporting independent living within the home and beyond. It gives nurses the opportunity to be independent practitioners whilst also being part of an amazing team, sharing ideas and developing knowledge organically. It is a dynamic place to work, ever evolving, providing variety and challenges, which enable creativity and personal growth. There is no other place I would want to work, and I am grateful that I have the privilege of working within the community nursing field.”
If you’d like to share a story or memory with us, tag us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or email communications@nchc.nhs.uk.
We also have a few more media opportunities lined up to mark International Nurses’ Day. Tune in to the Chris Goreham show on BBC Radio Norfolk at 8:40 AM to hear one of our Diabetes Specialist Nurses, Anita Murphy, talk about why community nursing is so important for diabetes care. Later, two of our LD Nurses, Bethany and Natasha, will be on the Kayleigh Poacher show at 12:35 PM. They’ll be discussing how their careers have changed over the last few years.
Any nursing staff who wish to mark International Nurses’ Day are invited to attend a virtual drop-in event hosted by the Norfolk & Waveney CCG. The event runs from 2-3 PM today, on MS Teams.
As well as celebrating and thanking nurses from across the Norfolk health and care system, representatives from each organisation will also be providing an update on nursing news from their patch. Del Mitchell, our Deputy Director of Nursing, will be sharing news of the nursing innovations and initiatives at NCH&C. The event is open to all RNs, student nurses, RNAs, and TNAs.
Once again, join us in wishing a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to our amazing nurses!