12th May - International Nurses Day

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The Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability takes a look at the past........

To mark International Nurses Day on Friday 12th May, the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability is taking a look back at nursing through the years. International Nurses Day is also the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birthday and is celebrated all around the world.

The hospital’s 370 nursing team includes 103 registered nurses. Together they help care for and rehabilitate patients who have either suffered a severe brain injury or have a neurological disease such as MS or Huntington’s, and many have worked at the hospital for a number of years.

Staff will be able to find out more about the nurses they work along side, celebrate their contribution and find out what made them want to take up the profession at a lunch event on Friday.

Two nurses who between them have over 62 years of experience, are Clinical Nurse Manager, Esnart Namakando and Continence Advisor Pauline Cowan. Here they recall why they became nurses and what continues to drive them.

Esnart (photographed to the right), originally from Luska in Zambia, has been a nurse for 29 years and worked at the Royal Hospital for over 12. She says, “I chose nursing as a profession because I wanted to take care of people when they are sick, the time they are most vulnerable, and to provide support to their families.

“I enjoy making a contribution that will alleviate the pain and discomfort of people when they are unwell and I derive a lot of satisfaction when at the end of my day, I know that I have done my best to make a difference in the life of my patients.”



Pauline seen on the left collecting a prescription from the Hospital pharmacy, originally from Wandsworth, and who now lives in Tooting, has been a nurse for 33 years and in 1988 joined the Royal Hospital – which was at the time called the ‘Home for Incurables’. She says, “I became a nurse after witnessing the care and compassion a close family member received during a hospital stay.

“I wanted to become part of this unique and dedicated profession where people’s sole aim was to care for the sick. Once I became a nurse I discovered that we all had tremendous respect for each other and were so dedicated we didn’t mind the hard work and low wages!”



May 8, 2006