It’s International Nurses Day and I would like to do a big shout out to our nursing friends out there! It is so important to recognise the extraordinary contribution nurses make across every part of the healthcare system. 

A friend of mine, a dedicated nurse of 20 years, once told me about the gift she received, from her Trust, on a previous International Nurses Day and it really stuck in my mind. It was a solitary tea bag with the slogan ‘have a cuppa on us’. The irony was the fridge was not even stocked with milk and anyone who has worked in the NHS knows the difficulty in finding a clean teaspoon… 

Why Rare Disease nursing matters

From primary care and acute services to specialist and community settings, nurses are often the healthcare professionals that patients and relatives see most throughout their healthcare journey. The unsung heroes, there to provide medication, dressing changes and often a shoulder to cry on. For people with rare conditions – facing delayed diagnosis, fragmented care, limited specialist knowledge – confident and informed nursing support can make a huge difference to outcomes and patient experience.

Medics for Rare Disease appreciates the key role that nurses play in the care of people with rare disease. We are proud to have worked alongside the team at Global Nursing Network to recently launch Rare Disease Nursing 101 training. The online module aims to improve understanding, communication and care for patients with rare disease and their families.

Jasmine Coleman, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Global Nursing Network for Rare Disease said:

“As the world’s largest and most accessible healthcare workforce, investing in nursing education is a practical and scalable way to strengthen care delivery. Rare Disease 101 (Nursing) addresses a longstanding gap through accessible, practice-relevant learning – building the knowledge and confidence needed to better support RUD patients and families.”