Award-winning nurse and volunteer extraordinaire Sabrina Ffrench is an infectiously positive person who has dedicated her life to the care of others.
The 29-year-old was raised in the Black Country, and credits her loving upbringing, her supportive family, and her “happy genes” for the way in which she has achieved so much in so little time.
From the age of four, Sabrina had four ambitions: to become a nurse, actress, shopkeeper, or Powerpuff Girl.
She explained: “My nan used to work in healthcare, so when I looked at her, I just thought, ‘Oh, WOW.’ She’s the one in the family that everyone looks up to, so I wanted to be like that. Then when I got to school, I swayed towards acting, because my Uncle Dennis teaches theatre in education and does a lot of work in Wolverhampton.
“As I got into Sixth Form, though, I realised that with acting, you could have a job one day and then no job on the next. So I thought, I’ll go and do what I wanted when I was four and become a nurse.”
Sabrina hit a snag when she discovered that most universities require nursing applicants to have studied science or health and social care. Luckily for Sabrina, though, the University of Wolverhampton is more flexible than that.
In one of those life-changing moments, the University of Wolverhampton offered Sabrina an interview to study nursing, and despite on the day being thwarted by snowy weather, she made it in time and was offered a place. Even after everything Sabrina has achieved since, she says that her proudest moment was completing a degree in adult nursing.
She continued: “My biggest achievement is having become a nurse. I’m so grateful to the University of Wolverhampton for having given me my chance, because usually, if you don’t do a science before you start, and if you don’t do health and social care, you can’t get onto a nursing course.
“I’m living proof that if you really want something, then you should go with it. All you can do is try, and if it doesn’t work out, then fair enough – but at least try.
I’ve been very fortunate. The University of Wolverhampton is definitely the University of Opportunity. It does exactly what it says on the tin.
It was during her time as a student that Sabrina discovered her love for charity volunteering, via an online request sent out by the university.
She said: “There was a notice that said a nursing charity wanted volunteers to go out to New Street Station (Birmingham) to do some bucket collection. I went along and while I was there a policeman gave me some money, which I didn’t think they could do but that was nice, and the public didn’t know about the charity, so I explained it to them. The experience was just lovely, and from there, I found a way to do work and volunteering together.”
Sabrina praises the education and training she received at university and says how helpful she found studying the Benner’s Novice to Expert Model for nursing. Through this model she was taught how to become a competent healthcare assistant through looking after patients, wound care, medication, and working alongside doctors, physiotherapists, and multidisciplinary teams. This all gave her the confidence she needed to transition from student to confident nurse.
Since her degree, Sabrina has excelled as a nurse and alongside her full-time role has become a professional nurse advocate, helping to support colleagues and prevent burnout, illness and stress. She is also a patient ambassador and helps to ensure her patients’ wellbeing is good, and in instances of poor feedback she investigates how to reduce future negative experiences.
Referring back to one of her childhood ambitions, she said:
When you put on the blue uniform, it feels kind of like being a Powerpuff Girl, and like you can save the world before bedtime! Out of all the professions out there, I think everyone's always got respect for nurses. Even though sometimes you might have a bad day, it's just a wonderful feeling to have the opportunity to care for somebody.
Despite the long hours she spends working at Sandwell and West Birmingham Trust, Sabrina continues to volunteer for worthy causes. In the past year, she has worked for a charity called Destination Florida, in which children who are facing significant challenges are offered the opportunity to experience a life-changing trip to Florida. She is also a trustee for FareShare Midlands, which saves good food that would otherwise go to waste and gives it to frontline charities all over the Midlands, reaching more than 83,000 people every week. This is an essential service for communities across the region who are facing challenging circumstances and living in poverty or food insecurity, and it also inspires individuals through volunteering employability programmes and providing access to job opportunities.
While this sounds like an exhausting lifestyle, Sabrina thanks her naturally uplifting demeanour for her ability to do so much good for so many people.
“I think I’m just naturally happy – I must have naturally happy genes. With the care profession, you’re getting paid, but you’re really there because you care and because you want to make a difference and see your patients making good progress.
“As a nurse advocate, it’s nice to help highlight the positive stories, too, because quite often in the media it’s always negative, negative, negative.”
Sabrina admits that there are times when she finds it difficult to relax and socialise due to her busy schedule, but she is confident that the busy life she has chosen is the right one for her.
“I didn't realise that I was always trying to do things until I went to an awards event last year and met the local Labour MP. She was like, ‘No, no, no. I think you need to calm down with a lot of this stuff, because you'll burn out!’
“I do try and do things for my friends, go to Nando's, go out and stuff, and I also love my soaps: Emmerdale, Coronation Street and EastEnders. I admit though, it’s hard to fit it all in, but I think it’s the right way for me. It’s so rewarding.”
Having given so much of her time to the care of others, it’s little wonder that Sabrina has been recognised for her efforts through award wins and nominations. Among these, in 2016, the University of Wolverhampton made her a finalist for volunteering and awarded her the Above and Beyond Award in 2017. She was also made an NHS Hero in 2019, and shortlisted for BME International Nurse of the Year in 2021. Just last year, she was nominated for a Community Inspiration Award; was the runner-up Volunteer of the Year and received the Young Alumni of the Year Award from the University of Wolverhampton; was a finalist at Trust Nurses’ Celebration Day for Nurse of the Year and Advocate of the Year; and a finalist in the BAME Awards.
Speaking of her accolades, Sabrina said: “It feels really good. Sometimes, when things get busy at work, or we’re short of staff, or I get tired, it gives me the boost I need to carry on.
“You’ll always have your Florence Nightingales and your Mary Seacoles, but while they still look good on posters, I think it’s nice that nurses today are also being recognised for what they’re doing.”
For the time being, Sabrina is happy to be exactly where she is in her career, because she wants to maintain as much patient contact as possible and a promotion would likely mean that her patient hours would drop. Outside of work, though, Sabrina’s ultimate ambition is to launch and run her own charity.
She said: “I’m coming up to 30 – that's scary – and I always said that by 30 I’d like to start some kind of charity project, so I think that’s my aim for 2025. I know how difficult running a charity can be, so there’s a lot to think about. However, there’s more that I need to do in my life, so I can’t sit in my comfort zone. I’ve got to try.
“I also want to thank all the amazing people at the University of Wolverhampton for making dreams into reality!”
