Nurses from across the region to be thanked this International Nurses Day

In West Lancashire and Sefton, nurses from across primary care, hospital, community and home care settings are to be celebrated as part of the global annual recognition on May 12 (the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth) for their tireless work and dedication.

Starting from Monday 8 May 2017, both NHS West Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), NHS Southport and Formby CCG and NHS South Sefton CCG will be sharing their stories across social media and using the national awareness day hashtag #nurseheroes. Each day, a different nurse, from a different care setting, will share their motivations for being a nurse and their passion to work in this role.

Pippa Rose, a practice nurse lead at NHS South Sefton CCG and NHS Southport and Formby CCG said:

“I first considered nursing as a career choice after my Mum was very ill at home and I remember looking out of the window waiting for an ambulance to arrive.

There was nothing I could do other than wait, and I think this planted the seed that I could learn what to do, so as not to be in the same situation again.

35 years later I am still proud to call myself a nurse. Things have obviously evolved over those years with the advances in medical knowledge and IT communications but the art of nursing has not changed and people still need to feel cared for and supported.

I feel rewarded each day when I go home and feel that I’ve made a difference to patients and colleagues lives.”

The celebrations culminate on Friday 12 May 2017, with two events taking place across both Southport and Ormskirk Hospital sites. The events will be held in the spinal gym at Southport Hospital and the restaurant at Ormskirk Hospital from 11am to 3pm and are open to all student and qualified nurses (on production of ID) from primary care, community and home care settings.

On the day, there will be a range of information stands and activities including lifestyle, well-being and fitness, complementary therapies, local retailer and raffle courtesy of Beales department store, with a recruitment team also on hand to offer advice and information on current nursing opportunities for anybody looking to get into the profession.

Claire HeneghanClaire Heneghan, chief nurse at NHS West Lancashire CCG, said:

“The work of my fellow nurses cannot be overlooked, from across the health care setting, be it working in hospital, a GP practice, walk-in centre or offering care within a home care setting. Nurses offer a crucial role for people, in times of need.

It is great to see our nurses being celebrated across the week in this way and hopefully our #nurseheroes across social media will help to motivate and inspire our next generation of nurses to come through.

I hope that as many nurses as possible are able to take some time out of their very busy days on the 12 May to come down to either Ormskirk or Southport Hospital to receive some well-deserved pampering and attention.

If anybody is interested in entering the nursing profession, I would personally encourage you to make the most of this opportunity and come along to speak to the recruitment team, who will be able to answer any questions you might have.”