Moorfields celebrates International Day 2023

International Nurses’ Day (IND) provides an important opportunity for us to thank our nurses for the vital care they provide to patients.

Marked on Florence Nightingale’s birthday each year, IND gives time to recognise our diverse and multi-skilled nursing teams, who deliver care, research, and education every day.

Moorfields Eye Hospital is joining the Nursing and Midwifery Council, Chief Nursing Officers, and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) to celebrate the difference nursing makes, sharing stories from some of our incredible nurses, including our recent international nurse recruits who joined the trust last year.

Best of Nursing

Nursing teams at Moorfields work across 25 sites in London, Bedford, and the UAE. The core component of their work is providing ophthalmic care for patients with sight loss and eye conditions. But the team also lead and deliver innovative research, education, and training programmes to further progress patient-centred care.

As well as working with other trusts to provide care to Covid patients during the pandemic, our nursing team continue to make a tremendous contribution to the care of patients, at Moorfields and beyond.

“The kindness, expertise and dedication of our nursing team, their ability to stretch themselves professionally as practitioners, and their desire to deliver excellent care to our patients, never ceases to inspire me, says Sheila Adam, chief nurse and director of allied health professionals.

‘I am honoured to lead such a diverse and talented team. Thank you to each and every one of you for the care and compassion you give to our patients and each other.’

Pathway to Excellence - Designated

As part of its commitment to the development of nurses and the profession, the trust has been working towards achieving The Pathway to Excellence (PtE) accreditation. PtE is a globally recognised nursing accreditation encompassing six standards focused on the health and well-being of staff and excellent quality within the clinical environment.

Following three years of hard work, Moorfields received the news that its bid to achieve Pathway status had been successful. The trust is now  a Pathway Designated trust - a huge accolade that demonstrate the nursing team’s dedication and commitment in creating a positive culture of care at Moorfields and across the healthcare profession. You can read more about our journey to Pathway and what it means for the trust using the link below:

• Moorfields achieves Pathway to Excellence accreditation

International nurse recruits

We continue to celebrate the amazing contribution of our internationally educated nurses. With the ongoing challenges of recruiting nurses from within the UK, we have been successful in welcoming nurses from other countries, who bring with them a wealth of experience.

Our international cohort are supported by our nursing teams, and our recruitment team, receiving pastoral care, alongside their training and education.

So far, we have welcomed 22 nurses to the trust, with 10 having already successfully passed their exams to become a Registered nurse with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). We are preparing to greet another 4 nurses in May, with another 10 joining us in the coming months.

The trust has also been successful in becoming part of NHS England’s (NHSE) programme to support displaced nurses to come to the UK to achieve their English language requirements, to join the NMC register and become a member of our nursing team.

Thank you from our patients

As part of the PtE, the trust has been running the DAISY Awards. Set up by the DAISY Foundation to thank nurses, nurses across Moorfields have been celebrated for their exceptional care by colleagues, and patients at the Daisy Awards ceremony.

In the most recent round of Awards, nurse Reymar Apostol was nominated by the carer of a patient for his kind and reassuring care. On nominating Reymar, this is what the carer said:

“I came into the clinic with a friend who needed to be seen by an eye doctor. Reymar was in reception and attended to our needs very kindly, reassuring my friend, and supporting us quickly when my friend was feeling unwell and needed to lie down. Reymar acted quickly, getting a doctor to come and check my friend was ok. Reymar is a role model for all nurses, and I am happy to nominate them for a DAISY Award.

Nursing jobs

We have a range of exciting nursing roles available at the trust. From healthcare assistants to ophthalmic technicians, to staff nurses and senior nurse practitioners, there is a role for everyone. Training and education is provided for those starting out in their nursing careers. For current vacancies, please visit the jobs page on the trust website at: https://www.moorfields.nhs.uk/work-for-us#!/job_list/s1/Nursing_Midwifery?_ts=1

International nurse recruitment

If you are international nurse, interested in joining Moorfields, please visit Capital Nurse London website for more information.

• Capital Nurse London

Share your story

Nursing touches all our lives at some point: we all have a connection, and we would love to hear your stories of Moorfields nurses who have cared for you. If you would like to share your story, please email us at: moorfields.digitalcomms@nhs.net. You can also post your memories of Moorfields nurses and messages of thanks to our Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn channels, using #HereForLife and #OurNursesOurFuture