Why We Formed a Guild of Nurses

The Guild of Nurses was the first stage in becoming a City of London Livery Company. In 2016 the Guild came into being and was recognised as a 'Company without Livery' on the Bicentenary of Florence Nightingale's birthday in 2020. The Court of Aldermen of the City of London considered the Petition submitted by the Court of The Company of Nurses on May 15, 2023, and approved the Company's recognition as the Worshipful Company of Nurses. It takes its place as No.111 in the Livery Companies’ order of precedence, with the oldest dating back to the 12th Century.

The Founders all trained in the City of London, at St Bartholomew's Hospital School of Nursing. They saw first-hand the value and contribution that the Livery Companies offer, and they felt that nurses should be included amongst the noble professions who are represented within the Livery world. They also saw this as an opportunity to promote the nursing profession and to leave a lasting legacy to the nursing profession that will live well beyond their careers and lifetimes.

They believed that the training and the skills they gained left them well equipped to go on to the wide variety of careers that they pursued - both within nursing and beyond. They were taught to a very high standard and wanted to ensure that whilst these skills endure, nursing also continues to embrace all that recent research and modern technology can offer.

For more information about our profession and the Livery - see Livery and History

To help you understand the work of the Company and what the Company does, there is a short summary, available here.