In celebration of International Nurses Day, the bicentenary of Florence Nightingale and the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.

Florence Nightingale’s contribution to nursing is legendary. And she was no stranger to pandemics.

Professor Rafferty will explain how the legacy of Nightingale lives on and its particular resonance during the pandemic we are facing today.

Find out about Nightingale’s character; what made her tick as a person? How did this impact her contribution to healthcare? Discover the enduring relevance of her work in its varied contributions to health and beyond.

Like many Victorians, Florence Nightingale was well educated in many areas. She was highly numerate, fluent in several languages and widely read. Her broad interests led her to new ideas for hospital design; data visualisation, quality improvement, public health, nursing and midwifery. Her teachings on hygiene resonate with the precautions currently being taken for COVID-19

As well as demonstrating great technical skill and knowledge in areas such as hospital architecture, Nightingale also understood how to get her message across to politicians and policy makers. She was above all a brilliant communicator.

Although Nightingale died over a century ago, the modernity of her vision for healthcare and hygiene bears re-examining today. We are entering an era of anti-microbial resistance, where standard treatments such as antibiotics are becoming ineffective and the consequences for health systems globally can be, as we are seeing, catastrophic.

Professor Rafferty will also compare Nightingale’s analysis of hospital outcomes and issues of quality of care today. Through her use of evidence and data literacy, combined with a moral vision and political skills, Florence Nightingale provides inspiration and a definitive agenda for nurse leadership today.

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