SHU Law staff, HKC Law Clinic students and Nursing and Social Care students came together last week to share knowledge and information about the Coroners Court. They were supported by a number of Sheffield Hallam Alumni from both legal and medical backgrounds and the event really was testimony to the way in which SHU creates knowledge and provides practical solutions to help transform the lives of our graduates.
Level 6 Law students were charged with the task of running a public legal education session so that future nurses could have an insight as to what might be required of them should they need to attend an inquest as a witness. This isn’t currently covered on their course. The session focused around the purpose of an inquest and the practical steps to be taken by an attendee.
50 nursing students were in attendance showing that the appetite for this kind of knowledge was strong with all spaces being taken within 40 minutes of the event being launched. Also Invited to the session were Sinead Rollinson Hayes, Solicitor at Irwin Mitchell, Vin Lewin, Investigations Lead Nurse and Debbie Sanderson Risk Advisor both from the Clinical Governance Department of Sheffield Health Care NHS Trust. These guests are former graduates of SHU and volunteered their time to support the Law students and enrich the experience of the nursing students by answering questions about their practical experience of nursing and the Coroners Court.
Sally Mallinson Ayres a Solicitor at SHU Law introduced the session acknowledging that students educating students and supported by SHU alumni really was applied learning at its best, keen to impress upon the audience that future lawyers should share in the responsibility of passing on their knowledge to help others.
Samantha Ashmore, Senior Lecturer in Adult Nursing, said of the event that it was “both a fantastic and exciting opportunity for our nursing students which gave them a valuable insight into the purpose of an inquest and the practical steps to be taken by an attendee”.
This was a sentiment shared by Vin Lewin who welcomed the opportunity to share in the education of a generation of nurses that may one day find themselves working for the Sheffield NHS Trust and requiring his guidance and assistance.
A very well done and a big thank you to all involved, especially to our guests and to Caldun Harris, Lecturer and his Law students who were very dedicated to their research and who gave an excellent presentation in front of an audience of 50 enthusiastic nursing students.
If you have an idea about how SHU Law students could educate either students or colleagues on key legal issues relevant to their chosen studies or profession then please get in touch with SHU Law. We are looking to extend our programme of public legal education and welcome your ideas about how we can do this. enquiries@Shulaw.co.uk. SHU Law may also be able to assist if you need help navigating the Inquest process.