UHDB colleague joins symbolic lamp procession at Westminster to honour Florence Nightingale and celebrate nursing profession
Stacey Hatton, Chief Nursing Information Officer (CNIO) at University Hospitals of Derby and Burton was selected to take part in the prestigious annual commemoration service at Westminster Abbey, which honours Florence Nightingale's legacy and life work, while also celebrating the contribution and impact of nurses and midwives to society.
The lamp procession is a symbolic part of the service and is led by a scholar from the Florence Nightingale Foundation, who carries a lamp and leads a procession of nurses and midwives through the abbey. The tradition is a symbolic gesture representing the transfer of knowledge and skills from past to future nursing generations.
Stacey, a Florence Nightingale Foundation (FNF) scholar was selected by the FNF Chief Executive to join other nurses and midwives from across the country to take part in the procession ceremony.
She commented, 'It was an immense honour to be selected as one of the nurses to take part in the Florence Nightingale Foundation (FNF) lamp procession at Westminster Abbey on Nurses Day yesterday. Florence Nightingale’s legacy is at the heart of our profession. Her commitment to care, compassion, and reform continues to inspire generations of nurses and midwives. It was such a privilege to celebrate our nursing profession.''
The day also marks International Nurses Day, recognising the vital role nurses play to improve patients' lives and our community. UHDB celebrated the day across Trust sites and heard from nursing colleagues about their professional journey >.
Florence Nightingale, considered the founder of modern nursing was nicknamed 'The Lady with the Lamp' from historic accounts from soldiers for her remarkable efforts tending to the wounded during the Crimean war. She reduced death rates by setting an exemplary standard for hygiene and cleanliness in hospitals.