Nurses and patients marked International Nurses Day with cake yesterday as they commemorated the birth of Florence Nightingale.

The occasion is celebrated on May 12, the anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale, who is widely considered to be the founder of modern nursing.

Nurses are involved from the moment a new life begins, to saying goodbye to a loved one, and all the stages in between.

Staff at East Ham Care Centre celebrated by offering visitors a slice of celebratory cake to mark the day.

Next door in The Shrewsbury Road Centre, at a stall in the entrance staff and visitors were asked to write on a board ‘What Nursing Means to me...’

Responses included “A chance to make a difference,” “Supporting people when they are vulnerable” and “Meeting difference people all the time!”