Next generation of Florence Nightingales honoured with awards

Nurses and midwives have been celebrated with a unique professional award inspired by Florence Nightingale. 

Last week the Nightingale Nurse and Nightingale Midwife Award was presented to 72 nurses and four midwives from Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, who will now be known as a ‘Nightingale Nurse’ or ‘Nightingale Midwife’.

The latest cohort of winners were presented with engraved badges and certificates during the celebrations.

Daniel Olatunbosun, 30, a senior staff nurse in the cardiology department at St Thomas’ Hospital, received the Nightingale nurse award. 

He said: “The whole process and the training has been amazing and I’ve built so much confidence.

“Back home in Nigeria we studied about Florence Nightingale and St Thomas’ Hospital’s role in nursing, so to be able to practice here and get this prestigious award is a dream come true – I’m really proud.”

Another recipient of the Nightingale Nurse Award, Ana Araujo, has worked at the trust for more than 20 years and is a matron for the home service in Lambeth. 

Ms Araujo said: “I’m extremely proud of the job that we do and I want to inspire others to continue this legacy. 

“Being a Nightingale means to follow the ethos of Florence Nightingale – to look after people with integrity and compassion.”

The award ceremony included messages of support from NHS England’s Nichole McIntosh, regional head of nursing and midwifery and Acosia Nyanin, deputy chief nursing officer for England, as well as Dr Christine Taylor, president of The Nightingale Fellowship and vice patron of The Florence Nightingale Museum.

Avey Bhatia, chief nurse at Guy’s and St Thomas’, said: “Florence Nightingale’s legacy continues to be the very essence of nursing so this prestigious award is a great way for us to develop and support our exceptional nurses and midwives. 

“A huge congratulations to our next generation of Nightingales who have helped to deliver outstanding, compassionate care to patients across our hospitals and local communities.”

Named in honour of pioneering nurse Florence Nightingale, who established her first professional nursing school at St Thomas’ Hospital, in Westminster Bridge Road, Lambeth north, in 1860, the award is unique to Guy’s and St Thomas’ Trust. 

Since launching in 2017, more than 450 nurses and midwives have achieved the award.

To receive it, nurses and midwives have to provide evidence from their managers, peers and people they care for of their practice and how they demonstrate the Trust’s values. They also have 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, a centre for professional development for registered and unregistered nurses and midwives within the Trust. 

Pictured top: Nightingale Award winners 2024 (Picture: Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust)