Nursing leader praises “outstanding” dedication of nurses on visit to Afghanistan

Published: 15 January 2010

For immediate release: 14th January 2010

Nursing leader praises “outstanding” dedication of nurses on visit to Afghanistan

Dr Peter Carter, Chief Executive & General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) today praised the work of nurses on the front line in Afghanistan, following his five day visit.

Dr Carter visited the field hospital in Camp Bastion, as well as the Aeromed facility at Camp Souter, which airlifts injured service personnel back to the UK. He spoke to the nurses and other reservists who run the hospitals about their experiences, and witnessed first hand the facilities for providing healthcare in battlefield conditions.

Speaking following his visit Dr Peter Carter said;

“Until you are there, it is impossible to understand the astounding dedication, courage and professionalism of the nurses working in Afghanistan. While the health facilities are second to none, these can be very trying circumstances and staff are giving their all to see that injured service personnel receive the highest level of care. It is striking how completely integrated the reservists are with the regulars, and this is reflected in the enormous respect in which they are held.

“It was an honour to visit the field hospitals and to see for myself the high standards of care they deliver under difficult conditions. The work put in by nurses in the military is often overlooked, as is the long journey to recovery taken by their patients. The RCN will continue to fully support nurses working in Afghanistan and Iraq and the service personnel they are treating in anyway possible. The RCN commends employers who are prepared to release their employees to deploy in Afghanistan and Iraq”.

Notes to Editors

For further information, interviews or illustrations please contact the RCN Media Office on 0207 647 3633, press.office@rcn.org.uk or visit http://www.rcn.org.uk/news/mediacentre.php

Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the UK and is the largest professional union of nursing staff in the world.  The RCN promotes the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working closely with the UK Government and other national and international institutions, trade unions, professional bodies and voluntary organisations.