Category: Drylaw Telford

An off-duty clinician has been hailed as a “hero” after she was involved in a dramatic bid to save a seriously injured pensioner. Sharon McGill, 45, who works in NHS Lothian, went into action when she found an elderly lady bleeding in the street from a nasty head injury.

The 87-year-old woman had fallen and cracked her head open, was quickly losing a lot of blood and needed vital help.

Sharon, from Gorgie , who had been on a night out with her family, immediately took charge of the situation, directing police officers and relatives at the scene. She also made sure that the woman remained conscious and breathing until emergency services arrived, while providing comfort to the pensioner’s frightened young grand-daughter.Sharon2web.png

Sharon said: “If I see someone that needs my help like that, I would never walk away for anything. It’s my job, even outside of working hours.

“I always try to think, what if this was happening to me or one of my loved ones? I would want someone to step up and help. That’s how I always think about my patients as well.
“I just hope the lady is alright now.

“You should always stop and help, even if you’re not sure how. Sometimes just holding someone’s hand and asking them if they’re alright can make a world of difference.”

Although Sharon may have been a reluctant hero, her actions were commended by the police officers who worked with her throughout the incident. They wrote to the anaesthetic practitioner’s managers the following day to praise her “outstanding” actions.

In the letter sent to Sharon’s managers, the police officer in attendance during this incidence said: “I wanted to pass my thanks on to Sharon, but also highlight the assistance which she provided during the incident, which was outstanding. Sharon is a credit to you and your team and we were very grateful for her assistance in dealing with the matter.”

Sharon, who mostly works with breast cancer patients at the Western General Hospital, didn’t tell her colleagues how her night out took a dramatic turn.

But when Lorraine Murray, the clinical lead for the department, received the letter, she wasn’t surprised that Sharon had been singled out for praise.

Lorraine said: “This is just so Sharon. She always goes above and beyond for everyone. She takes care of every patient that comes into the hospital as if she knows them personally.

“She comes in when she has annual leave or even on her birthday, to support her patients when she knows that they need her.”