Aspiring nurse, age 10, welcomed to Sheffield university

Ellie Lock met with staff within Sheffield Hallam’s Faculty of Health and Wellbeing earlier this month after she wrote a letter to nursing academics to find out what skills she would need to become a nurse.

In the letter, Ellie said that she wanted to be able to ‘help people’ and also said she wanted to find out more about the profession.

She was invited on an exclusive tour of Hallam’s nurse training facilities and spoke to staff and nursing students about their course.

The University also welcomed Shirley Wroe, an 85-year-old former Sheffield School of Nursing tutor who read from her book of memoirs during the visit.

Shirley said: “When I was teaching student nurses I really wanted them to know why they were doing what they were doing and when you taught them the practical stuff, they could also really look after the patients and that they did for the patients what they would do for themselves.”

Pat Cantrell, the former deputy chief nurse at the Department for Health and Social Care also gave a talk on her own personal journey from being a student nurse through to leading on some of the country’s most high-profile serious case reviews.

She said: “I feel so grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to share in so many people’s lives, whether it’s been birth of a baby or being there to provide care at the end of someone’s life, it’s been a tremendous experience and I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

Former Dronfield GPs, doctors Tony and Jill Bethell, both of whom have been awarded OBEs for their services to healthcare, also shared their memories of working in general practice during the tour.

Jill was one of the first female doctors to be paid the same rate of pay as her male colleagues when the Equal Pay Act 1970 was passed.

Dr Toni Schwarz, deputy dean of Sheffield Hallam’s Faculty of Health and Wellbeing said: “It was really touching to be able to welcome Ellie to the University and help her kick-start her future nursing career.

“We have been delivering healthcare training at Hallam for more than 30 years, providing Trusts up and down the country with highly-skilled, multi-disciplinary health professionals.

“It has been fantastic to see the support for the NHS, not just in Hallam, but across the country.

“It is a service that should not be taken for granted and it is only right that we celebrate its remarkable work and its ability to transform the lives and life chances of the population.”

Sheffield Hallam University is a national leader in creating innovative and real-world solutions for tackling today’s health and wellbeing challenges. The university is the largest provider of health and social care education in England.

With courses covering all disciplines, including nursing, midwifery, allied health, social care and sport, its healthcare curriculum helps to create the skilled workforce the NHS needs to deliver better long-term health outcomes for the nation.

Over the last five years, Sheffield Hallam has awarded almost 7,000 qualifications to students graduating from courses within the Faculty of Health and Wellbeing as well as offering around 20,000 placement opportunities for healthcare students each year.

The university specialises in healthcare research and its practitioners, scientists, engineers and designers collaborate to create solutions to global health challenges.