‘I’m proud to be called a Nightingale nurse’
By DAVINA HYDE
Nurses and midwives from Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital have been presented with a professional award for their outstanding practice.
The Nightingale Nurse and Nightingale Midwife Award was presented to 49 nurses and nine midwives who now have the honour of being known as a ‘Nightingale Nurse’ or ‘Nightingale Midwife’.
The ceremony took place in person for the first time in two years, with messages of support from Sam Sherrington, head of community Nursing for NHS England, Dr Christine Taylor, President of the Nightingale Fellowship, and Imam Monawar Hussain, founder of the Oxford Foundation.
Named in honour of pioneering nurse Florence Nightingale, who established her first professional nursing school at St Thomas’ Hospital in 1860, the award is unique to Guy’s and St Thomas’. Since launching in 2017, more than 300 individuals have successfully achieved the award.
The nurses and midwives had to provide evidence of outstanding practice from their managers, peers and people they cared for, in order to receive it. They also have had to complete a programme of academic work credited by King’s College London. The Nightingale Nurse and Nightingale Midwife Award is part of the Nightingale Academy at Guy’s and St Thomas’, which launched in 2017 to provide a platform for innovation in practice and social development, education and research in nursing and midwifery.
William Malcher
Will Malcher, a senior clinical research nurse in the Covid-19 clinical research team, said: “This award embodies the key principles that Florence Nightingale built her school on. Being a Nightingale Nurse shows that you are an exemplary nurse with dedication and passion in nursing.”
Beverley Banton, a clinical nurse specialist in the dental department, said: “I am proud to be called a Nightingale Nurse as this confirms that I follow the Trust values, demonstrating excellent clinical skills to all our patients and staff. It also shows Guy’s and St Thomas’ commitment to the professional development of their nursing team.”
Avey Bhatia, chief nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’, said: “The Nightingale Nurse and Nightingale Midwife Award is a great way of celebrating and developing our fantastic staff – a huge congratulations to our next generation of Nightingales who have achieved this prestigious award. We are proud of our strong connections to Florence Nightingale, and it is very important that we continue to build on her legacy of delivering outstanding compassionate care.”