Part of The British Nursing Arts Organisation
“Positively transforming nursing through creative action, celebration, innovation and art“
“cheering you afar for this noble mission”
Stephen Fry
British Comedian, Actor, Writer, Presenter and Activist
NURSE Collective UK (NCUK) is the UK’s vibrant frontline nurse-led, creative organisation.
Dedicated to celebrating our wonderful nurses and empowering their wellbeing, NCUK is driving positive sustainable change in Britain’s nursing through the power of the arts!
Pro-active and dedicated, NCUK brings to the table, fresh, dynamic and SMART ideas, injecting energy where it’s most needed.
Founded by nurse-artists in the South East of England, the vibrant intersectional organisation generates impactful, holistic, upbeat projects to improve UK nursing long-term.
Our arts-led campaigns and projects aim to support/inspire:
•Workforce and Student Attraction.
•Workforce and Student Retention
•Workforce and Academic Culture.
•Nurse and Student Morale, Well-being and Resilience.
•Nurse and Student Arts-led Innovation.
•Nurse and Student Leadership.
Improvement of the above areas leads to our number one nursing priority:
•Patient Care.
“very worthwhile”
Michael Rosen
Children’s Author & Poet
The intersection of art & nursing
The intersection of art and nursing is a pivotal move in healthcare. It infuses person-centred creativity into healthcare environments, opening doors for novel solutions. Studies show that art enhances the healing process and improves patient care by enhancing the emotional and psychological well-being of patients and practitioners alike. Creative thinking leads to innovative approaches in patient care, communication and stress reduction methods. Art is also the most impactful emotive medium to incite celebration and inspiration within the profession. Overall, it bridges the gap between clinical expertise and compassionate nursing, making the healthcare experience more holistic and patient-centred.
The NCUK future projects include:
🎨🎭 The Nurse Creative Exhibition:
Celebrating the dynamism and diversity of UK nursing through art.
Location: London.
&
🎙️ The Nurse Creative Podcast: Amplifying the creative voice of the UK nursing world.
…And you are invited to be part of it all!
[More on our projects further down].
NCUK is dedicated to empowering nursing through creative means. We harness the power of art and common sense to drive improvement and champion the dynamism of the UK nursing profession.
We showcase nursing in a modern, celebratory light, to transform the areas of nursing most in need of development.
Our mission is to attract and retain present and future generations to this progressive field, support UK healthcare, and build an inspirational future for UK nursing – and the people we care for.
Nursing is a privilege, and our profession thrives when we innovate, celebrate & co-create.
“…a wonderful project”
Flo Perry
British Artist, Illustrator and Writer
Our Inspiration
More than ever, it’s crucial to draw future generations into the nursing profession and retain those already dedicated to it. To attract new talent, we must inspire, and nothing is more emotive and powerful than the arts.
To retain our current workforce, we need to give them a voice to say, “This is us”, allowing them to own their narrative and express what they do.
By celebrating the diverse and dynamic roles of nursing in the public domain, and propelling creative “outside the box” innovations, we aim to empower and improve our incredible profession.
To quote the RCN 2023 report “Between 2018 and 2022, nearly 43,000 people aged 21 to 50 left the NMC register. ”According to UCAS, in 2024 UK nurse degree applications fell by 26% compared to 2022. We need to act urgently to rectify this situation. We must address this situation by integrating art with modern nursing.
As registered nurses with professional backgrounds in performance art, fine art, and photography, we at NCUK fully appreciate the positive impact the arts can have on healthcare. We recognise the healing and celebratory power of the arts which influence and inspire.
Arts are the energy that Britain’s nursing needs.
Our Purpose
To empower nurse-led creativity, drive improvement through art, and amplify the creative voice of UK nursing.
To celebrate nursing, put modern nursing on the map, and promote our dynamic profession to future generations.
To rebuild our profession by increasing retention and attraction in student nurses and the workforce.
The frontline nursing voice
We collaborate with incredible nurses from every sector and at every level, to improve our great profession.
However, the reality is that, far too often the frontline nursing voice has been shelved, neglected or rejected; breeding distrust, despondency and disvalue into nursing cultures nationwide.
Yet, being on the frontline means having firsthand experience. Therefore, it’s bedside and patient-facing nurses who are best positioned to inform what will work:
• to improve and empower our profession,
• to invest in and retain our current staff,
• to increase the nursing workforce and student attraction,
• to optimise patient care and safety.
NCUK offers support and solidarity from a robust creative platform to elevate the grassroots nursing voice. It’s time the frontline are rightfully heard, valued and actively considered in the future improvements of UK nursing.
“a wonderful and inspiring initiative”
Michael West
The Kings Fund
“Fantastic. Love it. I support this!”
Ann Lloyd Keen
Former Labour Health Minister
Together we can make positive change.
It’s about the US in NURSING.
THE COMMUNITY & INNOVATION HUB:
The NCUK core team blends nursing, creative and performance art, finance, and event management expertise to provide mentorship, support and a platform for creative arts-led innovation.
The Innovation Hub: As a collective organisation, we welcome all members of UK nursing teams and guest creatives to collaborate with NCUK, submit your creative arts-led proposals to our innovation hub, and help us drive positive change in nursing.
NCUK focus on a select number of projects annually, to ensure maximum effort and success for each.
So, for all Nurse Creatives out there! We encourage you to bring your ideas to the NCUK table. Entry form is below.
Joining the NCUK Creative Innovation Hub, will empower you to:
• Be bold
• Lead on your own ideas
• Maximise your creativity
• Receive solid support from NCUK
• Positively transform the UK nursing world.
Remember, we are stronger together!
Let’s keep that nurse lamp burning bright!
UP & COMING CREATIVE PROJECTS from the NCUK INNOVATION HUB ⬇️
THE NURSE CREATIVE EXHIBITION:
Celebrating nursing through art
Join us on an incredible journey to positively impact and empower nursing through the intersection of arts and healthcare.
Nurse Collective UK (NCUK) looks to host its first major annual multi-disciplinary and innovative art exhibition. This unique event invites UK nurses to embrace their creativity and express themselves through the multitude of art modalities.
This will be a pivotal event aimed at inspiring present and new nursing generations, increasing workforce and academic retention, and improving patient care and safety.
It will spotlight the dynamism and diversity of modern nursing roles, and celebrate emotive and uplifting nursing experiences through various art forms.
NCUK: The Nurse Creative Exhibition, will feature selected artworks from nurses nationwide.
Entry call-outs (coming soon) will extend to:
The theme for the show is:
The works (art, poetry, and performance)
will be based on (but not limited to) topics such as:
The show will further celebrate:
Lastly:
For now, we will leave it here… But! we hope to have already planted the creative seed to get you thinking of the celebratory art you will create and submit to be selected for the London show!
Keep a look out for updates!
> Future Exhibition
Exhibition Theme: “The Celebration of Modern Nursing”
Artistic submissions:
Registered nurses
Student nurses
Nurse educators
Nurse associates
Nursing health care assistants
Nurse academics
Guest creatives
Submission topics:
Positive impact of modern digital age nursing
Compassionate conduct
Caring communication
Healing outcomes
Holistic approach
Making a difference / Being the difference
Cohesive teamwork
Transformational leadership
Technical skill set / Skill set development
Inspirational experience
Role modelling
Gender neutralising nursing
Opening Showcase:
Poetry
Performance art
Music
Art awards
.
All selected submissions will be judged, and a prize for the winning creation plus two runners up will be awarded at the opening show party due in July 2025.
THE NURSE CREATIVE PODCAST:
Talking about all things creative and nursing. Spotlighting poetry and music from nurse creatives and guests. We aim to provide a creative platform to empower the frontline nursing voice, foster a progressive nurse community, explore areas of development, and discuss artistic innovations to improve the nurse education experience, and enhance our profession.
NCUK NEWSLETTER & BLOG:
Keeping you up-to-date with our creative and inspirational projects.
Meanwhile, go ahead and subscribe…
Enter your email below to sign up to the NCUK Newsletter
Any and all of The British Nursing Arts Organisation ©️, Nurse Collective UK ©️, The Nurse Creative Exhibition ©️ + Podcast, NCUK content and/or ideas, are the intellectual property of Nurse Collective UK & The British Nursing Arts Organisation.
No replication is permitted without permission. Thank you 💛
However, if you resonate with our ethos, ideas and projects and you want to connect – it’s easy, just use the NCUK contact form below, we don’t bite (except on Mondays).
So, step up and reach out, we’d love to hear from you 💛
For all enquiries including:
• Collaboration offers
• Innovation Hub
• Creative interest in NCUK: The Nurse Creative Exhibition
• Creative interest in NCUK: The Nurse Creative Podcast
Be brave below:
Nurse Collective UK
Supported by:
Nurse Collective UK 