Cathedral service marks International Nurses' Day - The Coventry Observer

Cathedral service marks International Nurses' Day

Coventry Editorial 23rd May, 2016 Updated: 28th Oct, 2016   0

A SERIES of events took place at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) to mark International Nurses’ Day last week.

In recognition of the contribution made by its nurses, midwifes and healthcare assistants, International Nurses’ Day is held across the world each year on May 12 – the birth date of Florence Nightingale.

An inaugural Nursing Excellence Award – a statue of Florence Nightingale – was donated by the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps to give out at the special event.

In its first year, the statue was awarded to Nurse Consultant Julie Morgan and he team in Ambulatory Emergency Care for a posted that had produced about the establishment of the Medical Decisions Unit – and the improvements made to patient care as a result.




Presented by Major Harry Wallace and UHCW’s chief nursing officer Mark Radford, the award was handed over at an afternoon event for the nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants and students across the trust.

Discussions of their experiences working in Afghanistan, Iraq, Uganda and Nepal were discussed with a former UHCW nurses returning to her former workplace to discuss her experience of volunteering to fight Ebola in Sierra Leone.


Earlier in the day, Heather Tysall – advanced nurses practitioner in acute medicine, spoke at an event held inside Coventry Cathedral about Florence Nightingale’s impact on nursing and her own personal experience of nursing in conflict zones.

Heather also shared her learning from the experience which had helped her to improve the care provided for trauma patients back home.

The cathedral event was organised by Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, Coventry University and George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust for staff and students across the region.

It was attended by over 30 UHCW nurses and midwives.

Professor Mark Radford, chief nursing officer, said: “The events on International Nurses’ Day 2016 have been a wonderful opportunity to recognise the contribution made by every Healthcare Assistant, Nurse and Midwife working for the Trust.

“Some of the stories shared by colleagues who have worked overseas were truly humbling.

“It’s especially exciting to see the learning that has been brought back to UHCW to benefit patients and train colleagues.

“Each year we will be awarding the Florence Nightingale Nursing Excellence Award trophy to an individual or team making strides to provide world-class care to all their patients.”

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