Health worker in line for national Work Skills award

Assistant practitioner Melissa McTague reached the grand finals of the Work Skills UK contest to find Britain’s best health and social care students.

The trainee came second in the competition’s regional heats earlier this year.

Assistant practitioners assist nurses and other registered medical staff, fulfilling roles in different hospital departments.

Melissa works at Rotherham Hospital’s General Surgery Ward B5, while training at Sheffield College.

She proved her skills in front of judges to win a spot in the national finals, taking place at The Skills Show in Birmingham next week.

Melissa said: “It really pushed me out of my comfort zone, as something you do every day becomes that little bit more stressful in front of the judges.

“It was a fantastic experience and I feel on top of the world to have done so well.”

Melissa hopes that competing on the national stage will help propel her up the career ladder — which can lead to nursing or other specialisms.

“It has been a massive confidence boost for me,” she said.

“When I started at the trust three years ago in an admin role, I could never have imagined I would be doing this.

“I hope other people see this and see that, no matter what role you are in, you can go on and continually develop.

“I couldn’t have done this without the great support I’ve had from colleagues across the trust, particularly the amazing team I work with on Ward B5.”

Chief nurse Chris Morley said: “This is a fantastic achievement for Melissa and is a testament to the hard work and dedication she has shown to developing her career and caring for our patients.

“We are all incredibly proud of Melissa and are confident that she will do Rotherham proud in the next stage of the competition.”