The Florence Nightingale Foundation is delighted to announce the Nightingale Fellowship Esmond Award, having been awarded the Esmond Bequest by the Nightingale Fellowship.
The new scholarship will be available annually, overseen by the Florence Nightingale Foundation Academy which promotes leadership and excellence in nursing.
The vision of the Academy is to enable a collective and independent voice for nursing and midwifery which is informed by expert clinical experience and high quality evidence. It is this independent status that situates the Florence Nightingale Foundation Academy in a unique position to support the development and implementation of the national nursing policy agenda.
Gillian Prager, the outgoing President of the Nightingale Fellowship, said: “This transfer will be a lasting legacy to the generosity of Mrs Esmond, who was a Nightingale nurse, and for the Nightingale Fellowship. The original bequest was left to fund education awards for all nurses. During a recent strategic review the current Nightingale Fellowship Trustees were made aware of the provenance and intentions of Mrs Esmond and are delighted to support her ambition.”
The new scholarship will receive applications from September 2021. Dr Emily McWhirter, a Trustee of the Nightingale Fellowship, has been invited to sit on the assessment panel.
Professor Greta Westwood CBE, CEO of the Florence Nightingale Foundation, said: “The Florence Nightingale Foundation is honoured to maintain the legacy of Mrs Esmond for the benefit of nurses and midwives. This generous gift will allow the Foundation to create nursing and midwifery leaders who follow in her footsteps and those of Florence Nightingale.”
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For further information please contact:
Aysha Awan, Director of Communications, Florence Nightingale Foundation
Mobile: 07974 666 815 / Email: [email protected]
Notes to editors
The Florence Nightingale Foundation
Florence Nightingale is undoubtedly the world’s most famous nurse and her influence continues to inspire the world of nursing today. The aim of the Foundation since it was founded in 1929 is to empower its scholars to become great nursing and midwifery leaders, honouring Florence’s legacy. The Florence Nightingale Foundation (FNF) offers two types of Scholarships: Leadership and Travel.
The FNF Leadership Scholars are awarded as 12-month bespoke scholarship programme, including leadership development. Our travel scholars access valuable training and development in the UK and overseas. Our scholarships have an excellent record of delivery; all scholars undertake projects focused on improving patient care and health outcomes. Within two years the majority are promoted to more senior roles as a result of their scholarship. We also offer a 6-month leadership programme for early-career nurses and midwives. Our scholarship and leadership programme offer is unique. Applications are competitive and they are highly sought after, with an excellent record of delivery and career development.
The Nightingale Fellowship
The Nightingale Fellowship is the alumni organisation of the Nightingale Training school, founded at St Thomas’ Hospital by Florence Nightingale in 1860. Alicia Lloyd-Still, the superintendent of the school (later to become Dame Alicia Lloyd Still) established The Nightingale Fellowship in 1928 to embrace all those nurses who had qualified at the training school – known as Nightingale nurses and with the awarding of the distinctive Nightingale badge.
The first commemorative service was held on 12th May 1929 with a dinner and first Annual General Meeting the following day. Here it was decided to inaugurate and publish a Fellowship Journal which continues to this day. The Nightingale Fellowship is a registered charity with a substantial Benevolent Fund which supports members in need and distress. This was set up with generous donations in the late 1920’s and since then many Nightingales have benefitted from, and also contributed towards, the Fund.
The aim of the Nightingale Fellowship is to support its members in need and maintain friendship between those who trained at St Thomas’ Hospital prior to the closure of the Nightingale Training School in 1996.
Further information on the history, activity and management of the Nightingale fellowship is available on its website.
www.thenightingalefellowship.org.uk