The Duchess of Cambridge is set to launch a campaign that will give nurses the proper recognition they deserve as the “lynchpins” of care. Her Royal Highness will aim to raise the “profile and status” of nurses recognising them as experts who can tackle the “rising burdens” of disease.
The Duchess of Cambridge’s great-grandmother, Olive Middleton, worked as a nurse during the First World War.
Later this month The Duchess of Cambridge will deliver a major speech at the launch of Nursing Now, a global campaign that will ensure nurses are credited as “crucial”. The speech is expected to praise the nursing profession and also emphasise the importance of nurses being listened to as leaders.
Olive Middleton worked as a nurse at Gledhow Hall and is reported to have nursed men wounded on the Western Front learning the full horror of the Great War. Olive gave birth to The Duchess of Cambridge’s paternal grandfather, Peter Middleton, in 1920.
Aligning herself more closely with women’s issues, on the day of her speech The Duchess of Cambridge is also set to visit the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists for an event encompassing maternal and newborn mortality, contraception and the ‘stigma around women’s health’.
The Duchess’s new direction on interest is considered an extension of her work into mental health, addiction and maternal health, which has seen her visit numerous hospitals and attend many medical conferences.
Kensington Palace confirmed that Kate will join a roundtable discussion with nurses from different countries and at different levels of seniority.
The Duchess of Cambridge is following in the footsteps of her soon to be Sister-in-Law, Meghan Markle. Ms Markle has previously campaigned for women’s reproductive health and dignity writing in an essay last year about menstruation, “We need to rise above our puritanical bashfulness when it comes to talking about menstruation.”
The Duchess of Cambridge’s day of nursing events will take place on February 27th.
Photo Credit: Coventry City Council