International Nurses’ Day is celebrated around the world each year on 12 May, the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. Nurses’ Day provides an opportunity to mark the contribution of nursing staff and reflect on the vital work they do every day.

With 2020 being International Year of the Nurse and Midwife, and the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, this year was gearing up to be the biggest celebration yet.

But 2020 will now be a very different occasion, as nursing staff across the world stand united in responding to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

This year, we are asking the public and patients to use Nurses’ Day to say thank you to nursing staff all over the country and indeed, the world. We want to thank nursing staff and their colleagues and tell them how their professionalism is truly appreciated.

Executive Director of Nursing and Midwifery, at Powys Teaching Health Board, Alison Davies, has published a video to share her thanks with the nursing team in Powys, across Wales, and worldwide.

Alison says: "Hello there and happy International Nurses Day.

“This short message is aimed at given a personal thank you to members of the nursing family in Powys who have worked tirelessly to give the highest standards of care to the population of Powys at all times but particularly sought during this COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’ve asked a lot of our nursing and staff in the last few months we’ve asked for nursing staff to work in different places in different ways, regaining skills, developing new skills, all with the aim of providing the highest level of safe quality care to the people of Powys as close to home as possible, and our nursing teams have really stood up to this challenge.

“I would like to thank you all personally for your commitment, your resilience, your optimism, and your look to the future about how we can continue to do things in new and different ways going forward whilst maintaining the fundamentals of quality of care to our population. Thank you very much once again.

“Always proud to be a nurse. And very, very proud at this time.

“Thank you.”