Celebrating International Nurses Day

International Nurses Day is held each year on 12 May, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth.  It is a Global celebration that acknowledges and celebrates the commitment and bravery of nurses around the world.  Each year, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) prepares and distributes the International Nurses’ Day kit, containing valuable educational and public information materials that can be used by nurses globally.

However, all countries celebrate this occasion in their own ways.  For example, in the UK, there is a service held each year in Westminster Abbey in London where a symbolic lamp is passed between nurses until it reaches the Nurses’ Chapel in the Abbey where it is then placed on the High Altar. This symbolises the passing of knowledge from one nurse to another.

The International Council of Nurses commemorates this important day each year with the production and distribution of the International Nurses’ Day (IND) resources and evidence.

Cllr Val Pothecary, Chairman of Dorset Council said:

“This fantastic event is coordinated by the ICN to ensure that the invaluable contributions of nurses to the health of people globally are recognised.”

This year, the theme of International Nurses Day has been set by the ICN as ‘Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Invest in Nursing and respect rights to secure global health.