In 1912 a memorial to Florence Nightingale was first proposed by Mrs Ethel Bedford-Fenwick at an International Council of Nurses Congress in Cologne. The intention was to create a foundation to provide educational support for nurses. Due to the 1914-1918 War, it was not until 1929 that the memorial proposal was activated at the ICN Grand Council in Montreal. In 1931 the Florence Nightingale Memorial Committee proposed that the memorial foundation for Florence Nightingale should focus on the post-graduate education of nurses. In 1934 The Florence Nightingale Foundation developed as an independent Foundation based upon the same principles as the Memorial Committee and the Florence Nightingale International Foundation. The Florence Nightingale Foundation has since been a living memorial to her life by providing scholarships to post-graduate nurses, midwives and other health professionals in the United Kingdom.
Current State
The Foundation is a voice for nursing across the UK. It works to improve patient care in the UK by extending scholars skills and knowledge and promoting innovation in practice. It achieves this through educational programmes, leadership development and clinical nursing research involvement, including the development of the Florence Nightingale Foundation Chairs in Clinical Nursing Practice Research.
Scholarships
The Foundation’s scholarships are designed to enhance the special contribution of nursing and midwifery to society, promoting innovation in practice and improving patient care. The Foundation has three categories of scholarships:
Travel scholarships are designed to enable the scholar to undertake a study of an aspect of practice and/or education in the UK or overseas.
Research scholarships are provided to allow Nurses and Midwives to undertake a course in research methods, research modules or a dissertation/thesis as part of an academic course of study.
Leadership scholarships are for experienced Nurses and Midwives, Healthcare Deans and Heads of Allied Health Professions.
Events and Activities
The Florence Nightingale Foundation hosts several events throughout the course of the year.
Florence Nightingale Foundation, Burdett Trust and Dods have partnered to organise Nightingale2020 Conference to mark the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale. The conference will take place on 27-28 October 2020, at ExCeL London.
Conference Theme History
2011 – In the Footsteps of Florence – Sharing Innovation, Delivering the Solutions
2012 - Sharing Innovation, Delivering the Solutions
2013 – Going for Gold: Inspirational Practice and Excellence in Care
A Commemoration Service is held in May of each year to celebrate Florence Nightingale. It is an opportunity to honour Florence on her birthday, 12 May, and to celebrate International Nurses Day. Central to the service is the Lamp which was given to the Foundation by Sir Dan Mason OBE in 1968 in memory of his mother Kathleen Dampier-Bennett, a Trustee and supporter of the Foundation. The Lamp is kept in the Florence Nightingale Chapel in Westminster Abbey. During the ceremony, a number of processions take place. Scholars of the Foundation process the Lamp to signify the knowledge of nursing and are escorted by student nurses signifying the transfer of knowledge to future generations. The Chelsea Pensioners process in memory of, and in gratitude to, Florence Nightingale for her care of the troops during the Crimean Campaign. The final procession is of the Nurses’ Roll of Honour which was compiled by the British Commonwealth Nurses War Memorial Fund and is also kept in the Florence Nightingale Chapel in the Abbey. It is carried to honour those killed in the conflict and to underpin the links with military nursing and nurses who have lost their lives in the service of others.
Students’ Day
Students’ Day is an annual event in which students from each University in the UK that has a School of Nursing and Midwifery are invited to spend the day with the Foundation in London. The main venue for the day is The Governors’ Hall at St Thomas’ Hospital. The event includes a morning plenary discussion session in which students are invited to raise questions or concerns with a panel of senior nurses and engage in professional debate; a tour of the Florence Nightingale Museum; a visit to the Florence Nightingale Chapel in Westminster Abbey, and attendance at the Annual Florence Nightingale Commemoration Service.
Presentation of Certificates
The Florence Nightingale Foundation Presentation of Certificates is held biannually and acts as a graduation ceremony for completed scholars. The event is an opportunity to celebrate the impact scholars' work has had on patient care and services. In 2014 the Foundation’s Patron Sir Robert Francis was the key note speaker and described Florence Nightingale scholars as the ‘future leaders of the profession’.
Alumni Community
In 2019, Florence Nightingale Foundation launched the Alumni Community to allow members to remain connected to the work of the Foundation, engage with other scholars, share their ideas, knowledge, and expertise, and to give something back by raising funds and getting involved in mentoring current scholars.
