Sue Inglis is a St Luke’s patron. She came to the charity with 40 years of nursing experience.
“I was brought up in a mining village just outside Doncaster and when I was eight I went to a St John Ambulance Brigade meeting and came home and told my mum I was going to be a nurse - and that never changed!
“I came to Sheffield in 1969 as a pre-nursing student and then started working at the Northern General Hospital, where I spent my entire career, specialising in cardiothoracic surgery.
“By 1978 I was sister in charge of a ward and then I progressed to become an assistant matron, staying in nurse management until I retired in 2011.
“Nursing was simply engendered in me, it was a real passion and it never felt like work - I always wanted to go to work because nursing is the best job in the world and I still believe that.
“I was approached by St Luke’s because they wanted somebody with a nursing background on the board and I had just retired so it was the right time, even though I had not thought of doing anything like that up to that point. It’s a decision I have never regretted.
“The care offered at St Luke’s is very patient focused - and that’s not saying other nurses are not. It’s more to do with the size and scale of what we are doing.
“I’ve always thought that good management comes from the top and the management at St Luke’s is incredible.
“I really enjoy working with the staff and I do get to meet the patients as well and talk to them about their experiences, which I really enjoy.
“I think one of the biggest challenges for St Luke’s is funding and that has been brought home even more by the pandemic challenge.
“I have learnt a lot from being part of St Luke’s. I sat on a lot of committees as a nurse but never at board level and being a trustee is completely different. During my time at St Luke’s I have learnt a lot about being a trustee and the responsibility that role brings.”