World looks to NHS, says ex-Army nurse teaching lifesaving skills   

Senior Resuscitation Officer Sharon Ellis

Basic life support is a skill everyone who works for Blackpool Teaching Hospitals needs to know – and it’s Sharon Ellis and her team’s job to teach them. 

Senior Resuscitation Officer Sharon has worked for the Trust for 22 years after training as a nurse in the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps. 

She was an Emergency Department nurse first before moving into practice development and then the resus team “but I’ve always taught resuscitation at varying levels and think it is a valuable life skill to learn”. 

“People’s perception is that the job is all about rushing to emergencies but, in reality, a lot of the team’s role is about teaching, and providing others with the skills they need for these situations,” said Sharon. 

“I find it very satisfying when people gain skills and can then use them outside clinical settings.” 

Reflecting on 75 years of the NHS, she says we’re lucky to have it when you look at what happens abroad. 

“The NHS is also very forward thinking and other countries look to us as leaders in healthcare because of that,” she said. 

Now try resuscitation yourself …

This Lifesaver interactive film from the Resuscitation Council UK puts you at the heart of the action as someone suffers a cardiac arrest. You make the crucial decisions and learn the essential skills to save someone’s life.

Posted in Home Page, NHS75.