Sheffield nurse whose quick thinking saved man’s life named Nurse of the Year

Cathy Harrison, an advanced nurse practitioner at the Sheffield Haemophilia and Thrombosis Centre, was praised by Nursing Times judges as “consistently going above and beyond expectations”.

Cathy has served people who have bleeding or blood disorders for nearly two decades and raised the profile of these chronic and often little-known disorders.

Dave Gort, who has a clotting disorder, said Cathy’s calm and quick-thinking demeanour “literally saved his life” after an emergency situation where he lost pints and pints of blood.

He said: “Haemophilia affects me by taking much longer than usual for my blood to clot. Because of the antibodies I developed, I don’t respond to the usual treatment.

“Alongside her vast clinical knowledge, everything Cathy does is undertaken with care and compassion, a cheery manner, and most importantly, a sense of humour. 

“Cathy also thinks more broadly about the ‘haemophilia family’ – so not only those affected – but also parents, siblings and partners too, providing them with reassurance, and a listening ear.”

She has co-created a national education course for nurses and allied health professionals to deliver bleeding disorders care to patients.

Cathy said: “It was amazing to win this award and for the recognition of the work within these rare diseases. 

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“It was fabulous to see the fantastic things that nurses are doing across the country, just a reflection of what is going on every day in nursing practice globally.”

She is part of a wider group of nurses at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and beyond developing education materials and updates to national approaches to blood disorders.