As many readers will be aware, 23 December 2019 will mark 100 years since Ethel Gordon Fenwick's campaign for nursing regulation was successful. Fenwick, a former matron at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, spent over three decades fighting to improve patient safety, ensure nurse training was standardised and to create a register of nurses. She was eventually victorious and was able to watch from the public gallery in the House of Commons when the Nurses Registration Act was passed by the Government on 23 December 1919.
Fast forward 100 years, and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is undertaking numerous celebrations to mark this milestone in nursing—one of the UK's most trusted professions (CV-Library, 2019). One such occasion was a special celebratory event that took place at St Thomas' Hospital, London, on 25 November to commemorate the NMC's ‘Always Caring, Always Nursing’ campaign, to announce the winner of its badge competition and to officially mark the outstanding contribution nursing has made to society in the past 100 years.
The evening brought together more than 200 nurses and key partners to hear speeches from nurses about their experiences and time in the profession.
Those attending were able to swap stories about their years—even decades, in many cases—of experience. Many gathered around to admire the various displays celebrating the history of nursing.
Registered nurse number one
At the beginning of the evening, Philip Graf, Chair of the NMC Council, took to the stage to deliver the opening speech. Graf detailed Fenwick's efforts over the years and explained how bill after bill was brought before Parliament to no avail until her victory in 1919. She was the first nurse to sign the register. To this day, she is known as ‘Registered nurse number one’. The past century has witnessed enormous growth in the number of members of the profession—from one registrant to just under 700 000 names on the register today (NMC, 2019).
‘This was not only a celebration but also recognised how far nursing has come in the past 100 years and how standards of care for patients and clients have improved’
This event was not only a celebration but also recognised how far nursing has come in the past 100 years, and how standards of care for patients and clients have improved and will continue to improve over the next century.
Speeches ranged over various topics, including the nurse's place in a family's support network, why particular speakers chose the profession and common misinterpretations of the role. All speakers, despite varying backgrounds and ages, recognised that nursing is a tough profession, but an incredibly rewarding one.
One speaker, Jo-Anne Wilson, spoke passionately about the negative and outdated views held by many regarding nurses working in care homes. Their role is often considered an easy option and she explained how this view fails to recognise the difference these nurses make to residents' lives on a daily basis. Many health issues can be dealt with on site by nurses, thus reducing the number of elderly people attending emergency departments and being admitted to hospital.
A badge of honour
The evening also saw the announcement of the winner of the NMC's badge competition. The competition asked nurses on the register to submit designs celebrating the centenary and more than 100 submissions were received. Ruth May, the Chief Nursing Officer for England, announced the competition winner as Karen May Mojica, who left the Philippines to pursue her dream job of being a nurse in the UK. She said she was inspired by Ethel Gordon Fenwick to enter the competition, also declaring how the ‘country and the community have welcomed [her] with open arms’.
Throughout the evening, speeches were similar in one respect. All speakers commented on the value of nursing's diversity. They stressed how important it is, as the profession progresses, to continue welcoming nurses, no matter their gender, ethnicity or religion, especially in such uncertain times.
The evening ended on a high note (quite literally!) with the Greenwich and Lewisham NHS Choir singing various songs, finishing with Emeli Sandé's ‘Breathing underwater’.
Andrea Sutcliffe, the NMC's Chief Executive and Registrar, commented that it had been ‘a fantastic evening and so wonderful to see so many nurses … I couldn't have asked for more.’
As we celebrate the achievements and milestones of the last 100 years, let's look forward to the next 100 and the triumphs yet to come in this unique and wonderful occupation full of professionals who wear their role like a badge of honour and are ‘always caring, always nursing’.