2020 International Year of the Nurse and Midwife
![Photograph of BHS staff](/~/media/HSPs/EMHS/Images/News/2020/year-of-nurses-midwives-bhs.png)
This year has been declared as the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife by the World Health Organisation in recognition of the vital role nurses and midwives play in caring for our community.
The theme for the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife is Champions for Change – nurses and midwives have always been, and continue to be, dynamic professionals who deliver care and compassion across the continuum of life.
Nurses and midwives are there when the first breath is taken and when the last breath has left. They provide care in the most vulnerable moments in the lives of our patients and their families, and are paramount to the provision of high quality healthcare.
This year also coincides with the 200th birthday of the founder of modern nursing and a true patient advocate and change agent – Florence Nightingale, who once said:
"I am of certain convinced that the greatest heroes are those who do their duty in the daily grind of domestic affairs whilst the world whirls as a maddening dreidel."
Nurses and midwives really are our unsung heroes, and with more than 3000 nurses and midwives working across EMHS, we cannot overstate the impact these wonderful individuals and teams have on our ability to provide amazing care to our community.
This year, we invite you all to recognise and celebrate our hard working nurses and midwives across EMHS.
We are truly thankful to each and every one of our fabulous nurses and midwives. Thank you for all that you do.