Sunday 12th May marks International Nurses' Day, celebrating the contribution that nurses make to society around the world every year on the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth.
The theme of International Nurses Day 2024 is: Our Nurses. Our Future. The economic power of care.
International Nurses’ Day is a global celebration that acknowledges and celebrates the commitment and bravery of nurses around the world.
The day also serves as an opportunity to recognise the invaluable contributions of nurses, raise awareness about the vital role they play in healthcare, and advocate for better working conditions and professional development opportunities.
Across the world, countries celebrate this occasion in their own ways. In the UK, there is a service held each year in Westminster Abbey in London where a symbolic lamp is passed between nurses until it reaches the Nurses' Chapel in the Abbey where it is then placed on the High Altar. This symbolises the passing of knowledge from one nurse to another.
This International Nurses’ Day, the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) is celebrating the 105 registered nurses who work for the region’s ambulance service.
SWASFT’s nurses form part of the clinical team in roles from senior leadership to working in patient-facing roles such as ambulance nurses and within the Trust’s Emergency Operations Centres, where 999 calls are received.
Ambulance nurses work as part of a clinical two-person ambulance crew and respond to life-threatening emergencies within the community.
In SWASFT’s two Emergency Operation Centre’s, one in Exeter and one in Bristol, nurses work alongside paramedics, doctors, midwives, and mental health specialists as triage clinicians to provide clinical assessments over the phone to ensure people get the most appropriate care at the right time.
Jane Chandler, Executive Director of Quality Patient Care at the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, said: “I would like to say a big ‘thank you’ to all our incredible nurses for the invaluable contribution they bring to the Trust and our local communities every single day.
“Often people don’t associate nurses with working within the ambulance service, but as SWASFT’s Chief Nurse, I am proud that we have almost doubled the number of nurses employed by the Trust in a range of roles and settings over the last year, which demonstrates the value SWASFT places on the need for investment within nursing.
“All our nurses deliver an essential service to provide the best care for people when they need it the most.”
A registered nurse qualification offers a wealth of career opportunities at the ambulance service. SWASFT frequently recruits for new people to work in a wide range of roles via their website.
Photo; Charlene Dsouza, Senior Nurse Clinician, South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
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