Vegetable Creek MPS recognises its dedicated nurses

11 May 2011

Tomorrow, Thursday 12 May, marks International Nurses’ Day and a time when Hunter New England Health takes the opportunity to celebrate the achievements of its 5130 nurses who provide care to the people of the Hunter, New England and Lower Mid North Coast regions.

Held on the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth each year, International Nurses’ Day is a time to reflect on the nursing profession and say thanks for the work that is being done to provide quality healthcare to the community.

The theme being highlighted for this year’s International Nurses’ Day is Closing the Gap: Increasing access and equity.

Hunter New England Health’s Acting Director of Nursing and Midwifery Karen Kelly said providing equitable access to health services was an important focus for many nurses.

“Our nurses are providing a broad range of services across a wide spectrum of care. Equity of access to health care is important to our communities, particularly those in our more rural and remote regions,” Ms Kelly said.

“Some of our communities rely heavily on nursing services to provide their health care and there are many examples of our nurses providing people with more equitable access to care.”

Ms Kelly said that while many nurses work in acute hospital settings, such as surgery or medical, there are also many others who specialise in primary health care, providing services to people in the community with a range of chronic conditions or specific health needs that are managed outside the hospital environment.

“All of our nurses deserve recognition for the work they do each and every day to provide quality care and support for our patients and their families,” Ms Kelly said.

“We’re inviting the community to join with us this International Nurses’ Day to take a moment to reflect on what nurses do for us and even offer a simple thank you to these modern-day Florence Nightingales.”

• Vegetable Creek MPS will celebrate International Nurses’ Day on Thursday (12 May) with a cake cutting. Staff will also wear ‘loud shirts’ to mark the day.

(HNE-2548)

Contact: Carisa Green

Phone: 0428 106 183