Wootton's nurse marks 40 years with NHS

A West Norfolk nurse practitioner who has helped thousands of unwell children and adults is celebrating her 40th year with the NHS.

Sarah Beart says she has the same passion to help people as she did on her first day of training on April 10, 1978.

Sarah and her identical twin Helen both set their sights on being nurses, but after being advised to go for different careers, she went off to become a medical secretary.

However when her dreams did not change, she embarked on her State Registered Nurse (SRN) training.

During her four decades of service, Sarah has worked as a staff nurse in a children’s ward, a health visitor and finally as a nurse practitioner at Wootton’s Surgery along with achieving numerous qualifications.

She said: “Nursing is a very rewarding career as I like to be able to help people. Sometimes all they need is for someone to squeeze their hand, plump a pillow or simply to just listen. Giving people the help and care they need is incredibly rewarding.

Sarah, who has also donated a kidney to her brother Andrew after he went into kidney failure, has shared her story as part of the celebrations to mark International Nurses Day.

Taking place on Saturday, International Nurses Day aims to promote the importance of nursing along with thanking the thousands of dedicated nurses for their work.

Sarah became a nurse prescriber, returned to the West Norfolk area and settled at the Wootton surgery 10 years ago.

She said: “The nurse practitioner role allows me to utilise all the skills which I have gained during my children’s, health visitor and general nursing training.

“Nursing is a fantastic career and I would definitely recommend it to other people.”