Moved to Care Exhibition
22 Oct 2026 - 04 Mar, 17:00
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This exhibition shows that migration has long been at the heart of nursing. Well before the NHS, Nightingale nurses journeyed across the globe, while several RCN founders travelled as military nurses, in South Africa and beyond.
The British Empire and its legacy lay at the heart of these movements. British nurses migrating from the UK tended to move to British colonies. In turn, nurses from these countries – colonial British citizens – were motivated to train and nurse in the “Mother Country”.
Today, around a quarter of the 794,000 registered nurses in the UK are nationals of other countries. As nursing shortages show no signs of decreasing, health care in the UK relies on the expertise of these migrants, just as it did in past decades. International nurses bring much-needed experience, while the skills of students and nursing support workers from abroad are essential to our health care system.
This exhibition explores the stories of some of those who have moved to care, from the 19th century to the present day.
If visiting in person, the exhibition is open Monday to Thursday from 10am until 4pm.
If you can't visit the exhibition in person, check out the online exhibition here.
The venue is wheelchair accessible. If you have any questions or accessibility needs, please contact us on scotland.library@rcn.org.uk or 0131 662 6163/4.
RCN Scotland Headquarters (Edinburgh)
42 South Oswald Road
Edinburgh
EH9 2HH
2.5 miles from Edinburgh Waverley Station
Page last updated - 16/10/2026
