Celebrating International Nurses Day at UCB UK&I

Today, on International Nurses Day, I want to take a moment to celebrate the great contributions nurses make to our healthcare system and to the work we do here at UCB UK & Ireland.

I am proud of our profession and as a registered nurse I’ve seen firsthand how nurses form the backbone of our healthcare. They lead with compassion, demonstrate unmatched dedication and play a vital role in the lives of patients and their families.

Their impact goes far beyond bedside care; they are autonomous practitioners and leaders across multidisciplinary teams.Despite facing challenges like recruitment freezes, budget constraints and increased workloads, nurses continue to show resilience and advocate for their patients.

This year’s theme, ‘Caring for nurses strengthens economies’, could not be more fitting. When appropriately supported, nurses can help unlock better health outcomes, reduce system strain and create more sustainable care models. A prime example of this was seen during the pandemic. Community nurses proved essential in managing complex conditions outside hospital settings, helping to free up beds and reduce the impact on an already stretched system. Nurses in acute hospital settings developed new skills to support one of the most challenging times in recent history and sacrificed much to provide compassionate patient care.

We thank you.

As someone who transitioned from nursing into the pharmaceutical sector, I am incredibly proud to be working alongside so many talented people who share this background, like my colleagues Pip Perry, Patient Support Programme Parter, Sarah Bebbington, Healthcare and Access Partner, Clare Makepeace, Medical Science Liaison, and Una Nolan, Healthcare Access Partner.

At UCB UK & Ireland, we remain committed to supporting nurses and their wellbeing through various partnerships, programmes and initiatives such as: 

• 👩‍⚕️ The FLS Academy and Network (FAN) – a cross-EU community of clinical practice empowering healthcare professionals in osteoporosis and fracture liaison services with resources for services transformation and providing coaching for improving services 
• 👩‍⚕️ Irish Bone Health Nurse Forum – inspired by FAN, this initiative will support nurses in Ireland working in osteoporosis and fracture services, creating a peer support group to mentor new nurses in the FLS practitioner role and to share best practices 
• 👩‍⚕️ Rheumatology training course – supporting a nurse education programme for rheumatology nurses, upskilling with the knowledge and tools needed to support evidence-based care 
• 👩‍⚕️ LEAD leadership programme – empowering nurses working in rheumatology, dermatology and bone services with a leadership programme, enabling a greater understanding of their leadership styles and how they engage with others, upskilling on understanding patient data to analyse their patient outcomes, and supporting an improvement project from identifying the issue to implementation of solutions 
• 👩‍⚕️ Tri-annual Advanced Nurse Network – UCB-hosted event for senior nurses to exchange insights and learn how to navigate challenges and lead with confidence

We also offer a wide range of coaching, programmes and peer-to-peer nurse support that helps nurses build sustainable services, strengthen departments, and continue delivering exceptional care.

Recognising the importance of nurses in the healthcare ecosystem and within UCB, we reaffirm our ongoing commitment to working with them. Their expertise is business-critical for us at UCB, and we remain unwavering in continuing our support.

To every nurse, within our company, across our communities, and around the world - thank you.

Happy International Nurses Day!

#UCBUK #UCBIreland 

IE-OT-2500031 | May 2025