History of the Foundation
The Story of the National Florence Nightingale
Memorial Committee -
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| The story of the Florence Nightingale Foundation is
inextricably linked with the early history of the International Council of
Nurses (ICN) and the Florence Nightingale International Foundation, as well as
with the League of Red Cross Societies in Geneva and its national societies in
many countries.
Florence Nightingale, who is universally
recognised as the founder of modern nursing, died in 1910 at the age of 90
years. The international nursing community of the time wished to pay tribute
to the life and work of this great nurse, and at the ICN Congress held in
Cologne in 1912, Mrs Bedford Fenwick in her speech at the final banquet
proposed that "an appropriate memorial to Florence Nightingale be
instituted". She envisaged an educational foundation, which would enable
nurses "to prepare themselves most fitly to follow in her
footsteps". However, due to the 1914-1918 War, it was
not until 1929 that the memorial proposal was activated at the ICN Grand
Council in Montreal, when Ethel Bedford Fenwick was elected Chairman of the
Florence Nightingale Memorial Committee. Today, the Florence Nightingale Foundation
operates from offices near Victoria Station in London, offering nurses the
opportunity to broaden their professional development through travel to other
countries, to observe trends and work in their own particular area of
practice. If you would like to receive a copy of "A Short History of the
Florence Nightingale Foundation", please write to the address below: The Florence Nightingale
Foundation
The Florence Nightingale Museum is on the
site of the former Nightingale School, the first nurse training school of its
kind, which opened at St Thomas' Hospital in 1860. The Museum houses a unique
collection of personal artifacts, Crimean mementoes and nursing history. Museum opening times: Monday to Friday 10.00-17.00; Saturday, Sunday, Bank Holidays 10.00-16.30 ). Last admission is one hour before closure. AccessThe museum has flat access from the street and a wheelchair accessible toilet Tel: 020 76200374 |
