The chief nursing officer (CNO) of Ukraine was among the speakers at the 60th edition of the annual Florence Nightingale Commemoration Service, held at Westminster Abbey on Monday.
Dr Kateryna Komar gave a reading at the ceremony, as did UK health and social care secretary Wes Streeting.
The event is organised by the Florence Nightingale Foundation to celebrate nursing and to honour the legacy of the charity’s namesake.
It typically takes place on 12 May, which is the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth and International Nurses Day.
Kateryna Komar delivering her speech
Dr Komar, whose country remains under attack by Russia, said she wanted to pay tribute to the Ukrainian nurses who “continue to serve under bombs and drones, choosing duty over fear”.
Speaking ahead of the ceremony, she added: “On the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who showed us the path of service in war nearly 200 years ago, I pray also for the global nursing community that stands with us, and for the strength to carry on with hope and dignity.”
Meanwhile, Mr Streeting said he also wanted to honour nurses working in conflict zones, as well as nurses in the UK, such as those who cared for him after his kidney cancer diagnosis in 2021.
Also speaking ahead of the service, he said: “Our amazing nurses, past, present and future, work unstintingly to deliver the very best care, sometimes in the most challenging circumstances.
“After I was diagnosed with kidney cancer, I will always be grateful to the wonderfully caring nurses who made my journey to recovery so much easier.
“And to those nurses who, since Florence Nightingale led the way two centuries ago, have dispensed care in times of conflict, be it in Ukraine or elsewhere, I thank you for your compassion, bravery and commitment to protect those in need.”
Central to the service is the lamp procession and rolls of honour, the latter of which see guests remember nurses and midwives who died in the two world wars and Covid-19 pandemic.
The lamp – a symbol of Florence Nightingale, who was known as the Lady with the Lamp – was this year carried by lieutenant commander Su Jeffreys from Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service.
Ms Jeffreys expressed “immense pride” at being given the duty of lamp carrier.
Lamp carrier Su Jeffreys and lamp escorts Farrah Amjad and Chelsie Sills
She added: “I am extremely honoured to represent my fellow military nurses at this prestigious event.”
She was joined in the procession by lamp escorts Farrah Amjad, blended roles facilitator, Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust, and Chelsie Sills, lead nurse for vulnerabilities at King’s College London NHS Foundation Trust.
They were followed by student nurses and midwives from Anglia Ruskin University and HCA Healthcare UK, signifying the transfer of nursing and midwifery knowledge to future nurses and midwives.
The three rolls of honour were carried by bearers Chloe Brahmbhatt, captain in Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps; Hannah Downs, flight sergeant in Princess Mary’s Royal Air Force Nursing Service; and deputy CNO for Wales, Gillian Knight.
Also in attendance at the ceremony were other high-profile guests including Lord Nigel Crisp; Duncan Burton, England CNO; former CNOs Dame Yvonne Moores and Dame Ruth May; and others.
Professor Greta Westwood, chief executive of the Florence Nightingale Foundation, said: “As the world unites for International Nurses Day, following the International Day of the Midwife last week, we reflect on the vital contributions our professions make to healthcare globally.”
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