International Nurses Day: Latest updates on coronavirus in England

Summary

Today is International Nurses Day and the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth
Florence Nightingale's image is to be projected on to Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals in London from 20:00 BST
People are being asked to shine a light from their windows tonight to mark the event
UK furlough scheme extended until October
Updates on Tuesday 12 May

Live Reporting

James Law, Daniel Wainwright and Deepak Mahay

Nurse swaps F1 racing for NHS coronavirus wardspublished at 09:42 British Summer Time 12 May 2020
Image source, OUH
A former nurse has swapped a life in the fast lane of a Formula One team for the high-speed environment of a hospital ward battling coronavirus.
Sue Chantry said she returned to work on the front line in Oxford "without hesitation" following 15 years away.
The former neonatal critical care nurse is working on wards with Covid-19 patients after being fast-tracked by the NHS rapid response service.
She had been working for the Williams F1 team in Grove prior to the pandemic.
Bus firms face struggle as lockdown easespublished at 09:33 British Summer Time 12 May 2020
Bus operators across the UK face an uphill struggle to restore services for workers returning after lockdown.
Unions are also concerned about safety amid reports of higher death rates linked to Covid-19 among male drivers.
Image source, First West of England
The need for social distancing will mean fewer passengers in each bus and the government is encouraging people to avoid public transport if they can.
But fares will not cover costs of restored services, bosses say. The government says it will work with them.
Hospitals celebrating International Nurses Daypublished at 09:24 British Summer Time 12 May 2020
Florence Nightingale's image is to be projected on to Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals in London from 20:00 BST.
It's the hospital which recently treated Boris Johnson when he had coronavirus.
They've also tweeted this video celebrating their staff.
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Stonehenge summer solstice gathering cancelledpublished at 09:10 British Summer Time 12 May 2020
Image source, Reuters
This year's summer solstice celebrations at Stonehenge have been cancelled because of the ban on mass gatherings prompted by the coronavirus.
Traditionally about 10,000 people have gathered at the Neolithic monument in Wiltshire, on or around 21 June, to mark midsummer.
English Heritage said it was cancelling the event "for the safety and wellbeing of attendees, volunteers and staff".
The occasion will instead be live streamed on the charity's social media.
Four nurses on four continents tell their storypublished at 09:02 British Summer Time 12 May 2020
Jay Vydelingum
BBC News Online
To mark International Nurses Day, the BBC's spoken to nurses working on four different continents, to learn about the challenges they face in the battle against Covid-19.
Image source, Gabriela Serrano
Gabriela Serrano, a nurse working in the US, has fond memories of the day she saw her first Covid-19 patient discharged.
"She was so happy when I wheeled her out of the hospital. She said: 'It is so good to see the sun shine and breathe fresh air'".
You can read more here.
Lockdown walk inspired social distancing gamepublished at 08:51 British Summer Time 12 May 2020
Media caption,
Coronavirus: Social distancing computer game's 'strong message'
An online game aimed at helping children see the importance of social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic has racked up about 10,000 plays in its first two days.
Players of Can You Save the World? , externalmust keep away from people in a busy street, collect masks and avoid sneezes.
The final score illustrates how many lives have been saved by doing so.
Co-designer Prof Richard Wiseman, said it showed how "just a small amount of avoiding can save lives".
Man charged after BBC reporter suffers racist abusepublished at 08:39 British Summer Time 12 May 2020
Image source, Sima Kotecha
A man has been charged after a BBC reporter was subjected to racist abuse as she was preparing for a live broadcast.
Sima Kotecha said she and her team faced "racist and abusive behaviour" while preparing to conduct interviews in Leicester city centre on Sunday.
Leicestershire Police said the man, whose age and name have not been disclosed, had been charged with public order offences.
He is due to appear at court later.
Prime Minister's tribute on International Nurses Daypublished at 08:29 British Summer Time 12 May 2020
Rob England
BBC News
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How to make your own face maskpublished at 08:19 British Summer Time 12 May 2020
People in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland are now being advised to wear face coverings while at the shops or on public transport to help limit the spread of coronavirus.
While medical face masks and respirators are prioritised for health and care workers, you might want to try making your own face covering.
Here's our guide to different types and step-by-step instructions on how to make them.
International Nurses Day: 'Shine a light'published at 08:09 British Summer Time 12 May 2020
Rob England
BBC News
People have been asked to shine a light from their windows this evening to mark International Nurses Day.
Health officials said the gesture, at 20:30 BST, would recognise the extraordinary work colleagues were doing in the fight against coronavirus.
The tribute also ties into the 200th anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, known also as the "lady with the lamp" due to her night rounds tending to soldiers during the Crimean War.
Image source, Getty Images
Ruth May, chief nursing officer for England, said: "I want to thank each and every one of our incredible nurses who are on the frontline in the battle against the greatest health emergency in NHS history.
"Their professionalism and skills are helping to save and rebuild countless lives.
“I know how much the public’s support has buoyed my colleagues during this testing time. It would mean a great deal if people once again showed their gratitude by shining a light for nurses this Tuesday."
Coronavirus lockdown advice 'lacks clarity', England's mayors saypublished at 07:58 British Summer Time 12 May 2020
Rob England
BBC News
People should stay at home where possible, say mayors in England's biggest urban areas, warning that new lockdown rules are confusing.
The government's "conditional plan" to ease the lockdown includes a return to workplaces for some people.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said the guidance was rushed and had increased risk "significantly".
London's Labour mayor Sadiq Khan said Boris Johnson's statement had caused confusion and "lacked clarity".
The gran, mum and daughter on the front linepublished at 07:43 British Summer Time 12 May 2020
Three generations of the same family are working on the front line in the same hospital fighting coronavirus.
All based at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, mother Verity Pinkney is a nurse and clinical educator in renal services, 20-year-old daughter Megan Latimer is a second-year student nurse and grandma Audrey Crosby is a healthcare assistant in elderly rehabilitation.
We spoke to the women about life during the pandemic for International Nurses Day.
Chancellor to set out future of job retention schemepublished at 07:38 British Summer Time 12 May 2020
Rob England
BBC News
As well as news on International Nurses Day, I will also keep you up to date on the main stories about coronavirus.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is to reveal the future of the government's job retention scheme later, amid growing calls to extend it.
Image source, Reuters
Currently, more than six million people are having 80% of their wages paid by the government while they are temporarily on leave from their jobs.
Mr Sunak has previously warned the scheme, due to end in June, was not "sustainable" at its current rate.
It comes as the government tries to get more people to return to work.
Mental health nurse describes ‘scary times’ on wardpublished at 07:34 British Summer Time 12 May 2020
A nurse working within a high-security mental health unit has described the “really scary times” during the coronavirus pandemic.
Ellie Crowther works at The Cedars in Exeter, where she said wearing a mask has made it more difficult to connect with patients, some of who try to “get in your face” and “remove your mask”.
Despite this, Ms Crowther said she loves her job because she knows she’s making a difference.
Good morning on International Nurses Daypublished at 07:30 British Summer Time 12 May 2020
Rob England
BBC News
Welcome to our live page on International Nurses Day, bringing you all the latest coronavirus news and updates for England.
Today marks the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth, who pioneered modern nursing during the Crimean War.
Image source, WIKIPEDIA/HENRY HERING/NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY
With nurses on the front line of the fight against coronavirus, we want to shine a light on these workers across the county.
If you know one of the many nurses continuing to work tirelessly in the current times,we want to hear about them by email.
Image source, Getty Images