A global nursing network has was launched yesterday by the Florence Nightingale Foundation (FNF), opening up the organisation to nurses outside of the UK.
At an event in the House of Lords, the nursing charity officially launched Florence Nightingale Global, an international organisation which aims to connect nurses from across the world and develop nurse leaders.
The FNF said that the launch was building ‘on the global momentum generated by the World Health Organization’s Year of the Nurse and Midwife in 2020, and our experience supporting internationally educated nurses and midwives in the UK.’
The foundation hopes that the inclusion of international nurses will enable healthcare professionals to be ‘at political decision-making tables as leaders of healthcare delivery, health promotion and prevention’ while being part of a global network of nurses and midwives.
In celebration of the launch the FNF also announced the first six international FNF scholars, four of whom were awarded fully funded places on the programme, who will have access to the alumni network and support from the foundation in their career progress.
The event was also attended by former and current FNF scholars, including Carol Kefford, chief nurse of HCA Healthcare, and Wendy Olayiwola, national maternity lead for equality at NHS England/NHS Improvement.
Ms Kefford, speaking on behalf of HCA Healthcare who sponsored the launch, said: ‘For nurses and midwives anywhere to truly flourish, to use our skills and knowledge to the full, to raise our voice and achieve our potential we need those bright spots of great nurse leaders shining their light.
‘The Florence Nightingale Foundation has done so much to build nursing and midwifery leadership capacity and capability in this country that the power of taking that expertise globally is immense and very exciting.’
The launch of FNF Global forms part of the foundation’s ongoing goal to support one million nurses and midwives across the UK and worldwide.
