The work of nursing staff across the Western Health and Social Care Trust has been singled out for special praise on International Nurses Day by the Trust’s chief nurse.

Marking the internationally observed day, Western Trust Executive Director of Nursing, Primary Care and Older People’s Services, Dr. Bob Brown, praised the outstanding work of nursing staff across hospital and community settings, right across the Trust.

The event is held annually on May 12 to celebrate the nursing profession and this year the theme is around nurse innovation.

Dr. Brown said: “International Nurses Day has particular poignancy for us this year as we look back on a year that has challenged our profession in ways that we had never experienced beforehand.

“Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic our nursing staff have faced unimaginable pressures and all through this time they have consistently met these challenges by demonstrating their outstanding professionalism, compassionate care, dedication and steadfast commitment to the delivery of quality care for people in all settings.

“I speak on behalf of the Trust by extending our sincere thanks and gratitude to every member of our nursing staff who have truly gone above and beyond everything we could expect of them over the past year and I acknowledge at times that they have been pushed to their limits of personal resilience and professional judgement.

“I’d like to thank every nurse and indeed every midwife across our Trust for all that you have achieved across the last year, during the most difficult of circumstances, and for which I am extremely proud of you.

“Nursing staff have had to deal with increased work pressures, huge uncertainties during the pandemic, fears for their own wellbeing as well as their families, extensive new and restrictive personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements, changes in service delivery and yet through all of this, whilst still providing exemplary nursing care.

“They have had to constantly adapt to rapidly changing regulations and have been required to step in and provide the additional emotional support and reassurance to those patients who could not receive visitors, often for extended periods.

“So we felt it was important at this time, to mark International Nurses Day, by simply saying thank you and by expressing how proud we are of their work and how truly grateful we are to all our Nursing staff right across the Trust.”