International Representation

The Queen’s Nursing Institute became a member of the International Council of Nurses in 2021.

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of more than 130 national nurses’ associations, representing more than 27 million nurses worldwide. Visit their website for more information: https://www.icn.ch/ . The ICN recently worked with BBC Storyworks to help create a collection of films about nursing in different countries of the world, ‘Caring with Courage’. Click here to see the QNI Press Release on joining the ICN.

In May 2023, the ICN published the Our Nurses, Our Future report, and a ten-point Charter for Change. Read more: https://www.icn.ch/news/icn-marks-international-nurses-day-launch-its-our-nurses-our-future-campaign 

The QNI also supports the International Collaboration for Community Health Nursing Research.

#NursesforPeace Campaign

The QNI supports the ICN’s Nurses for Peace Campaign and individual nurses are also encouraged to support it. President of the Association of Nurses of Ukraine, Tetyana Chernyshenko said ICN’s continuing moral and practical support was a vital help to nurses in her country:

“Ukraine is at war and every day there are rocket attacks on many regions. As a result of such shelling, healthcare facilities, schools, higher education institutions and residential buildings continue to be destroyed. In such inhumane conditions, our nurses and doctors often work under fire, providing emergency medical care and saving lives.

“With ICN’s help, Ukrainian nurses feel that they are not alone in this terrible war, that there is support for nursing in the democratic countries of the world, and that we are united in our efforts to protect freedom for our people. The Ukrainian people are extremely hardworking and capable of overcoming all the devastating horrors of this war. We sincerely thank all the people and the governments of the countries that lend us a helping hand, support us materially and will participate in the reconstruction of the damage caused. We give thanks to the International Council of Nurses for their help.”

Climate Change

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has a position statement  on Nurses, climate change and health, which lays out a strong commitment to climate action from the ICN, its member National Nurses Associations and nurses in general. ICN believes that the nursing profession has a duty to contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation, to the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and to protecting health and wellbeing, and promoting social justice.

ICN is a member of the Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA), an organisation that seeks to tackle human-induced climate change and to protect and promote public health and it works actively on a variety of different climate projects throughout the year.

Internationally Educated Nurses in the Community

The QNI has worked closely with NHS England to support the innovative work to bring Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs) to work in community settings in England. The QNI has developed resources to support employers seeking to attract skilled nurses to their region, and has also brought together resources for nurses new to working in this country. The International Community Nurse of the Year Award is a new award that is offered by the QNI annually. Find out more about our project here.

International NEWS

In November, 2022, Howard Catton, Chief Executive of the ICN, and Elizabeth Iro, former Chief Nurse of the World Health Organization, were awarded Fellowship of the QNI. Read our press release here. 

WHO ‘Health for All’ International Film Festival 2020

In 2020, the QNI produced a short film about nursing in the community that was shortlisted and given a special mention in the inaugural WHO Health for All Film Festival. Read more in our press release here, including a link to the film.

Historical Note

As one of few formally constituted nursing organisations at that time, the QNI was involved in the early years of the ICN. The first meeting of the proposed ICN took place in London in 1899, attended by Louisa Stephenson, from the Scottish Branch of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Institute for Nurses (later renamed the QNI). QNI Superintendents attended the subsequent meeting (the first ICN Congress) held in 1901 in Buffalo, New York State, USA.  

Cover image courtesy of Pixabay