International Nurses Day (IND) is celebrated around the world every May 12 - the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth.
Here's a lovely message from the Chief, Geoff, to all our nurses. Thanks also to our chaplain, Sister Bernie, for creating yet another lovely, welcoming display in the hospital reception area. Sister Bernie always works so tirelessly to make sure everyone is heard and valued and feels loved. Mildmay is so blessed by all the wonderful people who have ever worked here.
"Good Morning,
Today Mildmay joins our nurses to celebrate International Nurses Day. We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful team of nurses who manage the frontline of patient care here at Mildmay, and it is great to take this opportunity to say how much we appreciate them.
So a big Thank You to all our nurses. I understand that there will be cake doing the rounds later on.
Kindest regards
Geoff Coleman Chief Executive Officer"
The International Council of Nurses* commemorates this important day each year with the production and distribution of International Nurses' Day resources and evidence. The theme for the 2023 resource is Our Nurses. Our Future. Read more...
On this #IND2023, We salute the thousands of nurses and frontline workers who work day and night to save the lives of people. Our healthcare staff are real heroes, and we thank them all for their wonderful work.
Mildmay Mission Hospital's Founders, William and Catherine Pennefather, recruited a team of Christian women, who became known as Deaconesses, and whose training as missionaries had included biblical tuition, sewing, cookery, housekeeping, singing and bookkeeping in preparation to work in a Mildmay Mission or abroad.
Pennefather's missionary projects included; a Men's Night School, Sewing classes for widows, a Flower Mission, a Lads' Institute, a Servants training home and a Missionary Training Home; he took some inspiration from a Lutheran 'Order of Deaconesses' in Germany.
Florence Nightingale had the greatest respect for the Deaconesses, hailing 'every attempt to train in practical activity all female missionaries'... Her interest was no doubt particularly stimulated by the fact that some of them (in other Mildmay Institutions) specialised in nursing and so were among the first trainee nurses in the country.
*The International Council of Nurses is a federation of more than 130 national nurses associations, representing 28 million nurses worldwide.