Member's statement: International Nurses' Day
Member's statement by Mr Danny Donnelly on .
- MLA
- Mr Danny Donnelly
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 12 May 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- International Nurses' Day
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4937343
Read the official Assembly record
Text
International Nurses' Day is celebrated each year on 12 May, which was Florence Nightingale's birthday. Today, she would have been 205. The International Day of the Midwife was last week, and I have no doubt that Members from across the Chamber will join me in thanking our nurses and midwives for all that they do across the health service for all of us when their care is needed. I am very proud to be part of that wonderful profession, and I encourage any young person who wants a challenging and rewarding career to consider nursing. The theme for this year is "Caring for nurses strengthens economies". It seeks to highlight how a healthy and secure nursing workforce is crucial to the overall functioning of healthcare. Without healthcare staff, there is no health service. We frequently hear about the pressures on the health system, and it is true to say that the service runs on the goodwill of healthcare workers. That is neither fair nor sustainable. Nursing is a safety-critical profession, and nurses working on the front line in overcrowded A&E departments or busy wards frequently work under high pressure for long periods. There are high rates of sickness absence due to stress and mental health impacts, and there is a significant moral injury. This year, I hope to see the Health Minister progress the safe staffing Bill, which is urgently needed to improve the health, well-being and safety of patients and staff. We need to prioritise the well-being of nurses so that they can continue to provide the high-quality care that is critical to the health of our communities. We need them to be there for us all.
278 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.83).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.83 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.43 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.20 |
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.13 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.12 |
| Another identity-related subject | 0.12 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:22 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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