Today we celebrate the International Day of the Nurse and the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale.

Today, across the United Kingdom and the world our nurses are at the forefront of fighting the coronavirus pandemic – providing high quality and respectful treatment and care to all patients. This pandemic acts as a stark reminder of the vital role nurses play.

Tonight we are all been asked to “shine a light” and to recognise their efforts to tackle coronavirus.

Thank you to all our nursing professionals.