Today we come together to celebrate a century of Nurse registration.

On  23rd December 1919 Parliament passed The Nursing Registration Act meaning that for the first time Nursing was recognised as a profession.

Nurse, Ethel Gordon Fenwick a former Matron of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London spent 30 years campaigning for Nursing to be recognised as a profession. Ethel felt it was vitally important for patients to know that anyone calling themselves a Nurse met a consistent set of training standards.  In 1923 and at the age of 62, she became the first Nurse to join the register and to this day she is still remembered as State Registered Nurse No. 1.

Ethel Gordon Fenwick recognised as State Registered Nurse No.1

Today there are around 700,000 Nurses registered with the NMC the professional regulator of Nurses and Midwives in the UK. To this day the NMC sets the education standards professionals must achieve to practice in the United Kingdom. When they have shown both clinical excellence and a commitment to kindness, compassion, and respect, they are welcomed onto the register.

To be on the register Nurses must show clinical excellence and a commitment to kindness, compassion, and respect

To this day they follow on from the principles campaigned for by Ethel Gordon Fenwick and continue to set the education standards for Nurses professionals must achieve to practice in the United Kingdom.

Managing Director of Hallam Medical, Deborah McCain said Nurses and Midwives play a vital role in providing and coordinating person-centered care.

Deb said: “Our Nurses and Midwives are the lifeblood of our healthcare system and make a huge difference to patients lives every day. It is important that our Nurses and our Midwives are recognised as the highly skilled clinicians that they are. I would like to thank all our Nurses and Midwives they are all amazing!”

At Hallam Medical we are extremely proud of our team of highly skilled clinicians who work hard to support our clients and their patients.