A team of nurses has put together a heartfelt tribute to celebrate their colleagues and show unity in the global nursing response to the pandemic.

Nurses at Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford performed a short poem on screen to mark International Nurses' Day.

Watch nurses pay tribute to colleagues in heartfelt message

Staff range from the chief nurse to matrons, midwives, students and ICU ward attendants as each is seen holding up a different message.

In the video they all pay tribute to both the greatest and most difficult parts of their job.

The event is celebrated around the world on May 12, to coincide with healthcare pioneer Florence Nightingale's birthday.

In her career she experienced similar challenges to those we face during the current crisis and penned various works which contribute to modern nursing practices still in place today.

The Victorian social reformer even spent a brief three-year stint at one of the first army medical schools built in Fort Pitt, Chatham.

Her ideas here would help mould the future construction of both field and general hospitals as she campaigned for better sanitary conditions for both nurses and their patients.

Speaking ahead of today's event chief nurse Siobhan Callanan said: “Today is a very special day for nurses and midwives across the world as we celebrate International Nurses’ Day."

The senior officer said the team wanted to celebrate the diversity of roles and ethnicity within its current nursing workforce.

She added: "These last few weeks have been very challenging for the whole of the NHS but in the nursing community we have been blessed to be joined by some of our retired nurses/midwives and also by our future (student) nurses and midwives who have supported us in delivering safe and compassionate care to our patients.”

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