On Thursday 16th September, more than 300 nurses and midwives took part in a special event to close Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust’s extended Year of the Nurse and Midwife 2020 activities and celebrations, at Manchester Cathedral.
The year 2020 marked the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale. The World Health Organisation (WHO) designated 2020 as the first ever International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, providing a “once in a generation opportunity” to celebrate the professions.
As some of our MFT activities and celebrations were delayed by the Trust’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we extended the calendar into 2021.
Teams and locations across the Trust have hosted the MFT Lamp, an iconic nursing symbol well recognised by the professions, which not only encouraged reflection on learning from the past, but provided an opportunity to shine a light on the excellent teamworking, specialist skills and the pride our nurses and midwives take in their professions.
Symbolising the closure of the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, the MFT Lamp was passed by Group Deputy chief Nurse Sue Ward to its final recipient during the event, Abda Hussain, a Staff Nurse at North Manchester General Hospital.
North Manchester General Hospital officially became part of MFT during 2021 and the lamp will be displayed in the forthcoming redevelopment of the hospital.