Britons are being encouraged to shine a light from their windows to pay tribute to frontline nurses tackling the pandemic on the bicentenary of Florence Nightingale’s birth.

Nursing leaders have asked the public to show their gratitude by illuminating their windows at 8.30pm on Tuesday as a nod to the lamp which Nightingale was known to carry. The tribute will be ahead of the nation’s eighth Clap for Carers and will mark International Nurses Day.

Historians have said the efforts of Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing, to improve conditions for the wounded during the Crimean War have ‘never been more relevant’. Her image and a message of thanks will be projected from Parliament on to her place of work, St Thomas’s Hospital, as well as the British Embassy in Rome and the Italian Federation of Nurses.

Thousands of former nurses have come out of retirement to help the health service deal with the pandemic, which has been described as the ‘greatest health emergency in NHS history’. Students across the UK are also assisting by working in extended clinical placements.

England’s chief nursing officer Ruth May said public support shown so far has ‘buoyed’ colleagues during what she said has been a testing time.

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She said: ‘International Day of the Nurse is particularly special this year not just because we mark the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, but because of the extraordinary work all those who have followed in her footsteps are doing in the fight against coronavirus.

‘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.’

The year 2020 has also been made International Year of the Nurse to honour Nightingale.

CEO of the Florence Nightingale Foundation, Professor Greta Westwood, said: ‘Florence Nightingale, herself a trailblazer during her career, would have been proud at the way nurses have followed in her footsteps as pioneers and leaders in the fight against the pandemic.

‘They are truly her legacy today.’

On Thursday, the nation banged their pots and cheered on their doorsteps in the seventh consecutive Clap for Carers.

Millions were keen to show appreciation for frontline staff with the weekly applause, but some healthcare workers said they would rather see the likes of the prime minister offering sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) and a wage rise instead of clapping.

One said on Twitter that NHS staff ‘don’t want clapping. They want the government to stop hiding behind clapping, rainbows and painted mailboxes. They want proper PPE & pay.’

The initiative comes as Mr Johnson is preparing to address the nation tonight to lay out his so-called ‘road map’ for gradually easing lockdown restrictions.

His Government has been criticised for dropping the ‘stay at home protect the NHS’ slogan and replacing it for the ambiguous ‘stay alert’.

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