The Prime Minister was among a reduced congregation of 60 people at Westminster Abbey in London.
The service, which takes place annually to mark Florence Nightingale’s birthday on May 12 – now known as International Nurses’ Day – is this year recognising the contribution and sacrifice of nurses and midwives since the outbreak of Covid-19 in the UK.
Actress Helena Bonham Carter, a descendant of Florence Nightingale, reads from Isaiah 61: ‘The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed…to comfort all who mourn’ pic.twitter.com/xEI7PspymP
Florence Nightingale would be “roaring” about the 1% pay rise offer for health staff, her relative Helena Bonham Carter has said.
The Crown star said the renowned nurse who became known as The Lady With the Lamp would challenge the offer as a “pitiful reflection” of their work in the past year.
The actress spoke after a service at Westminster Abbey which paid tribute to nurses and midwives for their work during the pandemic.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock also attended and met nurses after the event in London on Wednesday.
Bonham Carter, whose great-great-grandmother was Nightingale’s aunt, said nurses have “always been underappreciated”.