Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is supporting the ‘International Year of the Nurse and Midwife’, in celebration of Florence Nightingale’s bicentennial year.
The campaign, which will run throughout 2020, will recognise, respect and celebrate the contribution that these professions make to the National Health Service.
Nurses and midwives make up the largest numbers of the NHS workforce, with over 1,500 currently employed at the Trust.
The Trust’s nursing and midwifery staff have touched the lives of many Swindon and Wiltshire residents over the years, from bringing babies into the world, helping patients and families through the care of a loved one and supporting a patient at the end of their life.
In support of the year, the Trust will be sharing the stories and vlogs from a number of nurses and midwives through history, all culminating in a large event in May, on the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale.
“I am always so impressed and inspired by the high level of care and compassion that all of our nurses and midwives show every day,” said Julie Marshman, Chief Nurse.
“This year is a great opportunity for us to celebrate the work that is going on across the Trust, both in the acute hospital and out in the community for patients being treated in their own homes or through primary care.
“I am looking forward to using this as an opportunity to shine a light on our nursing and midwifery staff, who really do deserve the recognition for their above and beyond attitudes.”
Tania Currie, Deputy Chief Nurse, commented: “I am proud to say that I have been a nurse for over 30 years and still love my work, learning something new every day.
“I originally trained in Bristol and then moved to Swindon and worked at Princess Margaret Hospital, and then moved across to the Great Western.
“I have had a varied career in lots of different posts, but my first love was always Orthopaedic Nursing and that’s where my career progressed.
“I didn’t originally aspire to advance to more senior positions but as my knowledge and experience developed, I could see the benefit of being in a leadership role where I could influence and impact nursing and patient care in the wider sense.
“Nursing and midwifery has changed so much over the years and there are certainly lots of new challenges and demands.
“However, our teams are clinically excellent, knowledgeable and resourceful and they have continuously adapted to the changing role.
“We are so excited to use this year to showcase the successes of our nursing and midwifery staff, who achieve such amazing things every day.
“They really do provide the best quality care to all of our patients, and I think it is important that we recognise and celebrate this.”
The Trust will be sharing stories throughout the year and want to hear from you. If you have been cared for by the nursing and midwifery team at Great Western Hospital, or perhaps you used to work for the Trust, get in touch with [email protected] to share your stories and photos.
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