Chichester nursing students joined symbolic lamp procession honouring Florence Nightingale

25 students and apprentices were invited to join the 59th Florence Nightingale Commemoration Service which took place on 15th May at Westminster Abbey. This annual event celebrates nurses and midwives who continue Florence Nightingale’s legacy.

The commemoration service involves a procession escorting a lamp which alludes to the fact Florence Nightingale was known as ‘The Lady with The Lamp’ as she made her rounds at night tending to the soldiers wounded in the Crimean War. Student nurses follow the lamp, signifying the transfer of knowledge to future generations of nurses and midwives.

Members of government, including Sussex MP Maria Caulfield who herself is a nurse, attended alongside nursing leaders from across all four countries and the military.

Before the service, students joined the Florence Nightingale Foundation (FNF) Students Day, which saw more than 100 nursing and midwifery trainees from around the country take part in learning and networking, with workshops and debates from early-career nurses and established leaders in the field. This day was curated by University of Chichester students, and the Head of School and NHS leaders presented at the event.

The 2024 FNF Students Day was sponsored by the University of Chichester in partnership with the University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust (UH Sussex). Student representatives from all six year groups across the university’s three pre-qualifying nursing courses participated in this prestigious event.

Dr Nita Muir, Head of School of Nursing and Allied Health at the University of Chichester and Tricia Rigby, Head of Nursing for Practice Development and Education at UH Sussex, said: “This event provides an opportunity for us to reflect on the tenacity and determination of Florence Nightingale in promoting the true value and importance of nursing in society. The desire to promote nursing remains today, particularly as we encourage those who wish to join the profession. 

“The University of Chichester in partnership with University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust are delighted to be supporting the FNF Students Day this year, in recognition of the inaugural School of Nursing and Allied Health at Chichester University which began in 2021 in close partnership with University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust and other local partners across Sussex and Hampshire.

“2024 marks our graduation of our first ‘pioneer’ Chichester students cohort, as such it is a proud moment for all those involved in their journey to becoming registered nurses. Students from across our Nursing and Nursing Associates cohorts are benefitting from attending the specially curated Students Day and will continue to promote the profession across West Sussex.” 

To find out more about nursing at the University of Chichester, visit: https://www.chi.ac.uk/health/course/bsc-hons-adult-nursing/