Organised in partnership between Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH), Hall Cross Academy and other health, social care and educational organisations in the area, ‘We Care – Into the Future’ was an opportunity for local youngsters to understand what the NHS and care sector has to offer them upon completing their studies.
Dr Sam Debbage, Deputy Director of Education at DBTH and Registered Nurse, said: “The event was a fantastic opportunity for local young people to meet health professionals from a number of professions and specialities and start to think about their future.
“Health and social care offers a wide-range of career prospects, from patient-facing roles to those accountants, IT experts and trades-people, who we do not associate as closely with organisations such as the NHS, but are just as essential in ensuring a hospital like ours can function. We were very pleased to be able to showcase this to local young people, particularly as they start to think about what career they might want to go into in the future.”
The event featured nurses, doctors and other health and social care professionals representing a wide-range of careers and opportunities within local services. An interactive session, the fayre also simulated a patient’s journey through a hospital, with live demonstrations from paramedicine through to the Emergency Department, surgery, a ward setting and community care. A number of stalls, stands and hands-on booths were also available for students to visit.
At Doncaster Royal Infirmary alone there are over 250 different professions, from patient-facing clinicians to those in crucial back-office functions, all working together to deliver high quality patient care and treatment.
Pippa Dodgshon, Principal at Hall Cross Academy, said: “I believe I can speak on behalf of all schools in the area in that our ambition, above all else, is to ensure that our pupils are given the best possible education in order to prepare them for a fulfilling and fruitful future career.
“This event was an opportunity for our year eight pupils to find out what health and social care has to offer them, while also highlighting those careers not as clearly associated. It was also a good chance to speak with the people that are in those roles, gaining first-hand insight into what it’s like working within the NHS and other caring organisations.”
The invitation-only event was offered to every secondary school within Doncaster. Due to its success, all organisations involved will be looking at expanding the event to Worksop in the future.
During the event, representatives were available from Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals, NHS Doncaster Clinical Commissioning Group, Doncaster Council, Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust, Age UK, the South Yorkshire Region Excellence Centre, Dunniwood Lodge Care Home, Hall Cross Academy, Sheffield Hallam University, the University of Sheffield, Doncaster College and Doncaster Chamber.
This latest event is part of the work which was formally launched between Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals and Hall Cross Academy – the former becoming the UK’s first Foundation School in Health.