Sheffield Hallam healthcare students call for university to suspend placements during coronavirus pandemic

The petition has already gathered over 500 signatures since launching on Tuesday, March 17.

It comes after the students and family members voiced their concerns to the heads of the department over the Covid-19 pandemic and the potential risks it could cause, to those studying healthcare, their elderly relatives and those they live with.

They are also worried about the risk that contracting the virus could have on their financial stability, as they are not on a paid placement and many have to rely on a part-time job to fund their basic living needs.

The petition states: “We fear that we may unknowingly spread the virus to those more vulnerable (elderly, immunocompromised or those with underlying health conditions) and our families have increasing concerns as the situation develops, they too support us in launching this petition.

“A portion of students who fall under the 'high risk' bracket are concerned that they may become infected and, as their symptoms may be more detrimental to their health, they will have to take more time off placement, resulting in more time to make up.”

The university has suspended face-to-face teaching following government advice on how to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

But, the healthcare students say this does not extend to those who are currently on placement.

“The university have released a statement that '[the students] health and wellbeing is [their] top priority', if this was the case, they would understand our concerns about attending placement, and would allow us to self isolate, as recommended by the UK Government, with no repercussions with regards to making up hours that we miss,” the petition continues.

“Students are already displaying feelings of anxiety surrounding the nature of attending placement, even staying in hospital accommodation, and we feel that our mental health isn't being considered. We understand this is a challenging time for everyone as we are in unchartered waters, we would just like to have our voices heard.”

A Sheffield Hallam University spokesperson said: “We understand this is a very challenging situation which is causing concern among some of our students, particularly those on or due to start a placement in clinical and healthcare settings.

“We have set up a dedicated advice page for students on healthcare placements and also have a Help Centre for any students who have questions that aren’t answered on our advice pages.

“As a university we have taken the approach to keep students in practice for as long as possible, which is in line with the professional regulatory bodies’ advice.“The NHS and our local health placement trusts and organisations are extremely well-prepared and used to managing infections and all student and staff welfare and safety remains a high priority.

“We will continue monitoring the situation closely and follow advice from Health Education England, the Health and Care Professions Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and our local placement provider partners.”