Hero Wigan nurses celebrated on International Nurses Day

Communities are coming together to thank nurses for their hard work during the past year with many having worked long hours and cancelled annual leave.

There will also be a special service held at Westminster Abbey later for the event attended by actress Helena Bonham Carter.

There are over a quarter of a million nurses employed in the NHS according to data from the Department of Health and Social Care.

In a tweet the Health Secretary Matt Hancock said:

"Thank you to all nurses, your hard work & dedication is deeply appreciated." He also shared an article from the Prince of Wales paying tribute to those in the profession.

Closer to home, we've been speaking to nurses in our borough about their experience of the pandemic

Allison Luxon is the Deputy Chief Nurse for Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, she said the dedication of the staff has been phenomenal…

"It's been a very, very difficult and tragic time over the last year but some positives have come out of that."

"I do believe that one of those is very much our ability to showcase the fantastic work that nurses do and International Nurses Day is a fantastic opportunity to do that across the whole of the economy."

"It has provided that opportunity to show what nurses do, but also what nurses are capable of doing, the range of skills that we have, our flexibility and our adaptability."

"I think the public has always appreciated what nurses have done, but that understanding about all of that, I think that's one of the things that's come through."

"Sometimes when you think that things can't get any better, the pandemic, in a way, has actually highlighted the fantastic work that all nurses do across the whole of the health and social care economy."

"We've had retired nurses returning to practice, we had student nurses coming out of their training in their final year to help us."

"We will always be eternally grateful and without those people and the goodwill and commitment from our staff and those that have helped us on a temporary basis, we would not have been able to manage."

Allison also said there's been a keen interest from people wishing to join the profession since the start of the pandemic.

She had this advice for anyone who may be considering a career in the NHS:

"Talk to us, we regularly go out to schools and colleges and we will talk to students there."

"We have a well-established pipeline that runs in collaboration with Wigan College for health and social care students as well collaboration with Universities."

"Utilise our opportunities for work experience and see what the different roles are within nursing and more widely within the NHS, find out what's the best fit for you."

"We all arrive at where we are in different ways, we all go on journeys so talk to us to gain a greater understanding of what the nursing profession can offer you and what it offers you in terms of personal growth, understanding yourself, and how you view the world at large."

"It's a fantastic career, I've never regretted coming into nursing. I love it as much today, as I did the day that I started my nurse training. I'm so incredibly proud of everybody that I work with."

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