THE BRIDGE | SPRING 2015
6
Insight: Mairi Hurrell – Welfare Adviser Background: Training: Registered General Nurse – Western Infirmary Glasgow, specialising in Thoracic Intensive Therapy State certified midwife – SCM, Scotland Health education course, CRC, Cambridge Worked in: Orthopaedic Trauma in Geneva Cardiac ICU, Guy’s Hospital, London Cardiovascular Surgery and Multiple Body Trauma, Parkland Memorial Hospital, Dallas Appointed Queens’ Nurse in January 1993 Appointed Queens’ Welfare Adviser in 2013
After 22 years of devoted service to Queens’ students, Mairi Hurrell is retiring this summer. She highlights the changes she has witnessed in student welfare during her time. Student welfare provision at Cambridge has grown due to: the increasing number of students greater diversity of backgrounds more awareness of specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia and dyspraxia anxiety caused by the burden of current and future debt and the uncertainty of appropriate post-graduate employment distress caused by parental separation and the break-up of the family long waiting times after referral by GPs for physiotherapy and mental health assessment
Positive action The Senior Tutor developed the idea of the Welfare Team in response to student needs which, over recent years, have grown exponentially in number and severity. This has necessitated the expansion of the University Counselling Service (UCS) with the appointment of two dedicated Mental Health Advisors, the Disability Resource Centre, and the Eating Disorders Clinic.
In the vanguard Queens’ is the first college to initiate, in addition to tutorial support, a Welfare Team. This comprises Mairi Hurrell, Welfare Adviser, Emma Dellar, College Nurse, both with experience