NURSES at Great Western Hospital were celebrated on Tuesday(may12) in a special day to mark the great work they do in the townSwindon.

Staff were on hand at The Academy in the lower ground floor of the Marlborough Road hospital on Tuesday with an exhibition of nursing paraphernalia and other interactive events, including a talk about nursing in years gone by from the local NHS Retirement Fellowship.

Hilary Walker, chief nurse, said: “International Nurses’ Day gives us a wonderful chance to display what nursing means to us, and proudly showcase to others the vital contribution our nurses make.

“While the core caring skills of nursing remain the same as they have ever been, these days nurses routinely develop additional, often more technical skills, which means they have an even bigger contribution to helping people with their health needs.”

GWH’s senior nurses and the HR team also gave career advice to young visitors, along with Oxford Brookes University and University of the West of England who are supporting the initiative.

Artwork by children of hospital staff, who were asked to use the theme of what they thought made a lovely nurse, were unveiled at the end of the day, and then displayed at the hospital.

The record holders of the bed making competition also lost their titles with two new champions crowned.

Claire Barker, training and development manager at the hospital said: “It has been an absolutely lovely day with lots of activities and positive feelings about nursing as a whole.

“Some staff managed to drop down and take part in some of the competitions. We also had our local partners with the colleges with opportunities for them to see new career pathways.

“It has been a lot of fun and we had the children in during the afternoon with a colouring competition, so we have seven new pictures going up in the corridor. We just asked them to draw us a picture of what they thought a lovely nurse looks like. The winner of the under seven category was only three, and came in her own nurse’s uniform.

“The hospital is incredibly busy at the moment and it would have been nice to have everyone taking part. It is nice to be able to stop and think about what we are contributing. Nurses are exceptional people, and the day has been about celebrating them.”