International Nurses Day – 12 May 2023

We’d like to thank all of the amazing nurses here at Combat Stress who make such a difference to the veterans we treat with their dedication, compassion, expertise and knowledge. International Nurses Day is observed across the world on 12 May, the birthdate of Florence Nightingale, known as the founder of modern nursing.

Combat Stress nurses have provided care and support to our Armed Forces veterans since the end of the first world war, in fact the charity was founded on 12 May 1919, when it was known as the Ex-Servicemen’s Welfare Society. 880,000 British forces did not return from that war, and many thousands more returned but were forever changed by physical or psychological injury.

Public sympathy was scant for those service personnel returning from the European battlefields of the first world war suffering from what was then referred to as 'shell shock'. Those suffering were often consigned to institutions or left suffering silently at home. Our nurses of a hundred years ago played a different role working within an occupational and respite-based approach, supporting those who had served to rebuild meaningful lives.

Today our nursing team provides specialist mental health and substance misuse services both as part of the charity but also in partnership with other organisations, including the NHS.

The Combat Stress nurses of today are either General or Mental Health trained and deliver a wide range of clinical interventions.  Several of our nurses have served in the Armed Forces or have immediate family members who either serve or are now veterans. Similarly, many of our nurses have no military background. Still, they are drawn to work in our organisation and have the chance to make a real difference to support veterans and help them regain hope.

You can find out more about some of our incredible nurses here as we celebrate International Nurses Day 2023.