NURSES at the Royal Bolton were given a pampering treat as the hospital celebrated International Nurses Day on Florence Nightingale's birthday.

Workers pay tribute to the profession on May 12, the annual day of celebration, with the extraordinary contribution Bolton’s nurses make to the borough honoured at a special ceremony.

During the service, at the hospital, acting director of nursing Bev Tabernacle, symbolically handed over a lamp to promising young nursing student Sean Prunty.

The hospital’s nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants and allied health professionals were also given 75 fruit baskets, donated by Sainsbury’s.

Dedicated staff were then treated to free pampering sessions carried out by Bolton College students.

To celebrate International Nurses Day, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has highlighted the ways nurses in the north west develop fresh approaches to patient care.

Estephanie Dunn, regional director for the RCN, said: “Nursing has played a vitally important role in the development of patient care and improving patient experience.

“Nurses across the north west are at the leading edge of improvements to patient care and are caring, compassionate, committed and passionate about what they do.

“Nurses work hard to ensure that patients receive the very best care possible in every care setting.”

In 2011 Fiona Murphy, who is assistant director of nursing for bereavement across Salford, Bolton and Wigan, won nurse of the year at the Nursing Standard Awards.

At the time, she was clinical lead for bereavement and donation at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Throughout International Nurses Day, nursing staff worldwide shared messages about why they chose their profession with the hashtag #whyInurse.