January marked the start of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. The year aims to unite nations of the world in celebration of the benefits that nurses and midwives bring to the health of the global population. A WHO declaration calls for 2020 to be used to celebrate “the vital role and contributions of nurses and midwives in achieving universal health coverage”.

Background

International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife was officially launched in January by Minister for Health Simon Harris and was hosted by the Office of the Chief Nursing Officer (CNO). It is an important landmark for the nursing and midwifery professions. This is the first time that any professional group has been recognised in this way and underlines the fundamental role of nurses and midwives in delivering healthcare across the globe. Internationally this campaign is led by the WHO, the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), the International Council of Nurses (ICN), Nursing Now and the United Nations Population Fund. It is a year-long effort to celebrate the work of nurses and midwives, highlight the challenging conditions they often face, and advocate for increased investments in the nursing and midwifery workforce.

Nurses and midwives account for around 50% of the global health workforce. They touch the lives of millions of people through caring for mothers and children, giving lifesaving immunisations and health advice, looking after older people, caring for the acutely and chronically ill, and generally meeting everyday essential health needs. 

As part of strong multidisciplinary healthcare teams, nurses and midwives make a significant contribution to delivering on the commitments made in the 2018 Astana Declaration on Primary Healthcare, ensuring patient-centred care close to the community.

Nurses and midwives are leading the way in campaigning for universal health coverage for all. To achieve health for all the world needs nine million more nurses and midwives if it is to achieve universal health coverage by 2030. This represents 50% of the current shortage of health workers internationally. 

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, said: “Nurses and midwives are the backbone of every health system in 2020” and called on “all countries to invest in nurses and midwives as part of their commitment to health for all.”

Elizabeth Iro, WHO chief nursing officer, said: “I’m thankful that nurses and midwives are helping make progress towards health for all throughout the world.”

Globally, 70% of the health and social workforce are women compared to 41% in all other employment sectors. Nursing and midwifery occupations represent a significant share of the female workforce. In Ireland, 92% of the nursing workforce is female. The International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife campaign is an opportunity to campaign for an end to gender inequality in the workplace and wider society. This is not only a campaign in Ireland but also for recognition of equality for women internationally. 

Opportunity

Along with the Nursing Now campaign the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife has been an opportunity for nursing and midwifery organisations throughout Ireland to stand together in supporting and championing the role of nurses and midwives. In Ireland the campaign is led by the INMO, CNO, Office of the Director of Nursing and Midwifery Service Director (ONMSD), the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland, the Irish Association of Directors of Nursing and Midwifery, Psychiatric Nurses Association, Dublin City University, University College Cork and Waterford IT. 

The International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife developed out of the Nursing Now campaign that runs in tandem and finishes at the end of 2020. This year is significant for nurses as May 12 is the bicentenary of the birth of Florence Nightingale – nurse, innovator, reformer and leader of improved healthcare. In addition, there is no better time to begin this new journey in raising the profile of nurses and midwives with colleagues across the world.  

SOWN and SOWM reports

The WHO State of the World Nursing (SOWN) report describes how the nursing workforce will help deliver universal health coverage and the sustainable development goals and highlight areas for policy development for the next three to five years. 

The formal launch of the report will take place on World Health Day, April 7, 2020. This will be the first time that a global picture of the nursing workforce has been produced. The information collected will include the number and types of nurses, education, regulation, practice, leadership, and gender issues. This will highlight the challenges and areas for growth and development to enable and inform national health policy and unlock investment in nursing, the health workforce and gender equality agenda. 

The WHO State of the World’s Midwifery (SOWM) Report 2020 will outline the progress and future challenges to deliver effective coverage and quality midwifery services. This will be the third SOWM report, previous reports were published in 2011 and 2012. 

International nurse and midwife days

The annual celebrations of midwives and nurses, which take place on May 5 and 12 respectively, will have added importance this year. The ICN slogan for 2020 is ‘Nurses: A voice to lead – Nursing the World to Health’. The ICM slogan for the year is ‘Midwives changing the world one family at a time’.

In Ireland, May will be one of the high points for the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife 2020 campaign with numerous events planned. Organisations, health services and groups are encouraged to plan and organise local events to celebrate midwives and nurses. 

For further information see the following: www.icnvoicetolead.com, www.nursingnowireland.ie and on Twitter see: @ICNurses #voicetolead #IND2020 

Nightingale Challenge 

A new global initiative brings together health employers to inspire the next generation of nurses and midwives as practitioners, advocates and leaders in health. The Nightingale Challenge asks every health employer around the world to provide leadership and development training for a group of their young nurses and midwives during 2020. 

The aim is to have at least 20,000 nurses and midwives aged 35 and under benefiting from this initiative in 2020, with at least 1,000 organisations taking part. Programmes must include an opportunity for personal development, to learn about leadership and the wider organisation, and are not purely clinical. Examples of programmes could include any mix of formal course, mentoring, shadowing or learning from other professionals or sectors.

Annette Kennedy, ICN president, said:  “We hear, time and again, that nurses are being held back as leaders. We need to seize the opportunity that 2020 gives us to shape a different future for our profession by investing in the next generation. By accepting the Nightingale Challenge we give them new skills, experiences and confidence – together we will take down the barriers that hold nurses back and see our profession soar to greater heights.”

In Ireland, the Nightingale Challenge has been accepted by the ONMSD and the CNO. Two programmes have been set up: 

• Mentorship and career development – organised by the CNO
• Leadership development programme – organised by the ONMSD. 

Any organisations in Ireland that would like more details should visit: www.nursingnow.org/nightingale/

Nightingale 2020

The Florence Nightingale Foundation will be hosting the international conference honouring 200 years of Florence Nightingale’s legacy and celebrating the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. The conference will showcase how nurses and midwives can work collectively to transform health and social care for everyone. The event will take place on October 27-28 in London. For more information see: www.nightingale2020.com/ and #Nightingale2020 on Twitter. 

Get involved

Join the INMO and its partners in celebrating the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife and to seize the opportunity to promote the role of nurses and midwives and their contribution to health in Ireland and across the world. A spotlight will shine on nurses and midwives and it is a once in a lifetime opportunity for us to stand together with nurses and midwives across the world in celebration. 

Each organisation or group of nurses and midwives are encouraged to set up local International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife and Nursing Now Ireland groups. You are asked that once a group has been created to inform the Nursing Now national committee. Each group can then decide on how they would like to raise the profile of nurses and midwives and celebrate the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. This could include events and activities to showcase the significant contribution of nurses and midwives to healthcare and public health in Ireland. 

Importantly, Nursing Now is an outward looking campaign that aims to engage with individuals, civic and wider Irish society. We encourage you to post photographs, video resources and other content on your local organisation websites and social media platforms and to share this information with Nursing Now Ireland on our website, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram accounts.

For more details on activities, events and resources go to: www.nursingnowireland.ie