Page 16 - QARANC Vol 15 No 1 2017

14 QARANC THE GAZETTE
Royal College of Nursing (Scotland) Centenary
Joint Film with 205 (Scottish) Field Hospital Celebrating Army Reserve Nursing
In the centenary year of the battle of the Somme, 205 (Scottish) Field Hospital joined forces with the Royal College of Nursing Scotland to produce a short film to celebrate Army Reserve Nursing as part of the RCN’s programme of films showing the multi- faceted nature of nursing today.
2016 was the 100th anniversary of the RCN, which was founded by Dame Sarah Swift, the Matron-in- Chief of the Nursing Division of the Joint War Committee, in response to the requirements in the middle of the First World War for appropriately trained volunteers and nurses. The film celebrates the history of the work undertaken by nurses in 1916 and it then goes on to show how nursing has changed by following the nurses of 205 Fd Hosp training as part of the wider clinical team at the Unit’s Annual Camp held at AMSTC in Strensall. The film is based on a series of short interviews with nurses who normally work in Accident and Emergency, Intensive Care and Wards, who talk about their experiences of training and working as Army Reserve Nurses and the benefits they have gained in terms of leadership experience, new qualifications and the sense of teamwork that they take back
A still from the film showing 205 Fd Hosp Army Reserve Nurses during a HOSPEX
(From left to right) Cpl M Yates, Col H Singh and SSgt Williamson at the RCN Scotland Parliamentary Reception
into their day-to-day NHS work. Fittingly, the film was launched on Armistice Day and is available for viewing on social media platforms as well as on the RCN Scotland website www.rcn.org.uk/scotland. Prior to the launch, a reception was held at the Scottish Parliament to celebrate the RCN’s Centenary and to preview the film. In attendance were senior NHS Scotland and RCN members as well as a host of MSPs, all of whom showed their appreciation of the RCN and those serving within the Army Reserve and the NHS. Three of those QARANCs interviewed in the film, Col
Helen Singh MBE, CO 205 Fd Hosp, SSgt Michelle Williamson and Cpl Mark Yates, attended the reception and were available to answer questions.
In conclusion, the film is a fitting tribute to how nursing and, in particular, army nursing, has developed over the years to give our patients the best possible service. The short film provides a clear insight into training and teamwork within a military environment and the benefits that Army Reserve Nurses gain both for themselves and their NHS employers.