Israeli hospital’s nurses celebrate Florence Nightingale’s 200th birthday

An Israeli hospital twinned with one in London marked the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale this week.

Staff at Haifa’s Rambam Hospital celebrated the founder of modern-day nursing with a cake and gifts in honour of International Nurses Day.

Rambam has been twinned with Hackney Homerton Hospital for 25 years, with the most recent visit from Israel taking place in October 2019. It included a professional tour to various departments of the London hospital, a visit to the city hall, and a meeting with representatives of the Jewish community in Homerton.

Catherine Pelley, Chief Nurse at Homerton University Hospital NHS Trust said: “Our 25 year link with Rambam has provided many warm and informative memories for the many Homerton staff who have visited Haifa, whilst providing us with an opportunity to showcase our services to colleagues visiting us from Israel.

Long may this partnership continue.”

Gila Hyams, Director of Nursing, Rambam said: “Before the trip to Homerton, I wondered about the longstanding friendship.

We are people from different worlds sharing the desire for a common humanitarianism and sharing of skills.”