Nurses urged to reach out to their communities in celebration of International Nurses’ Day
Nurses across the UK are being encouraged to engage their local communities on International Nurses’ Day and throughout May.
The Department of Health, in partnership with the Florence Nightingale Foundation, NHS Careers, and the four UK Chief Nursing Officers, is asking nurses to highlight outstanding practice and promote the positive images of the profession.
Nurses are also being asked to promote the profession as a realistic career option for young people by visiting schools and colleges.
Ideas and resources for nurses to use in celebrating International Nurses’ Day are now available in a toolkit developed by NHS Careers and the Florence Nightingale Foundation. The toolkit includes:
- top tips for events and activities
- presentations, leaflets and posters
- template materials for engaging MPs and the media
- useful links and resources.
The toolkit is available on the NHS Careers website.
Viv Bennett, Director of Nursing and the Government’s Principal Advisor on Public Health Nursing, said:
‘Across the country events marking International Nurses’ Day give us a special opportunity to celebrate our achievements and to promote the range of career opportunities in nursing that include prevention and health promotion as well as providing excellent care when people are ill.
‘On this International Nurses’ Day let’s celebrate the huge contribution that nurses make to the public’s health from care provided to individual people, which makes ‘every contact count’ for health, through to public health services for families and communities through the roles of health visitors and school nurses.
‘Let’s make this the best International Nurses’ Day yet, and make every intervention count for public health.’
Nurses can also celebrate International Nurses’ Day, which takes place on 12 May, on
- Twitter - @Intnursesdayuk and #IND2012
- facebook.com/intnursesdayuk.