Making a mark on International Nurses Day, Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust celebrated their fabulous nursing and midwifery staff, by conducting their very own special event – ‘Pride in Nursing and Midwifery Day’ – with over 140 people attending.
The event, which took place on 12th May, had a chosen theme of ‘Nursing is Diversity’ – to celebrate and acknowledge the many different cultures of staff who work within the hospitals. The day really highlighted the fact that members of staff come from all around the world, with rich and different backgrounds, but all with a common devotion – compassion and a willingness to provide the best possible care for our patients.
The day kicked off with various presentations, including falls and VTE prevention, and some personal stories from nurses about their journey into the profession. Midwives, specialist nurses and other medical colleagues also joined in with events throughout the day. It also provided an opportunity to present some well-deserved awards to some nursing and midwifery teams and individuals, including two for the best poster displays of the day, and Aspen Ward at St Peter’s Hospital, who won the ‘Ward of the Year’ award.
Heather Caudle, Chief Nurse at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals, commenting about the chosen theme of ‘Nursing is Diversity’ said: “As usual, the day was a chance for all our nursing and midwifery colleagues to come together to celebrate our wonderful achievements during the past year. Our theme this year was ‘Nursing is Diversity’, celebrating our diverse cultural and career journeys to becoming nurses and midwifes. This really makes our Trust who we are, proving that at the heart of all nurses and midwives, no matter what their background; they are united in their compassion for care. The roles of nursing and midwifery are truly diverse and this fact, in addition to the amazing opportunities we have for development, means we are able to be resilient when meeting different challenges, working with different disciplines or setting more stretching goals.”
Prestigious and influential nurses attended the event, including Chief Nursing Officer at NHS England, Jane Cummings, and Deputy Director of Nursing at Public Health Matters (PHE), Joanne Bosanquet MBE.
Pictured above: Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals Chief Executive Suzanne Rankin with Chief Nursing Officer of NHS England, Jane Cummings
