Published on: 27/05/2026
St Paul’s Wordsworth Avenue have appointed Sophie Cooper as Parish Nurse, thanks to funding from the national church for social justice and community transformation work. These funds have also enabled a Parish Nurse Service to be set up at Church of Christ and St Alban’s House Christian Community in Attercliffe and Darnall.
Sophie, who started her new role in April 2026, brings with her 10 years of service in the NHS working on a vascular unit. Originally from London, she first moved to Sheffield to study nursing at Sheffield Hallam, where she met her now-husband. They have two children, and Sophie loves running and describes herself as an extrovert.
The role at Parson Cross will involve giving health advice, health promotion and signposting, alongside giving spiritual care. Sophie also offers blood pressure checks and provides support at the local foodbank. The parish nurse role also includes:
- Advocating for individuals and health more widely
- Acting as a health navigator and resource
- Supporting and training volunteers
- Liaising with other local services
- Supporting the wider health, safety and risk management of the church/organisation and congregation.
Sophie says the spiritual dimension to the role was what helped convince her to apply:
‘I loved my job in the NHS but it’s been a bit harder over the years to
deliver the care I wanted to give, and that includes giving whole-centred care. I felt that God gave me a really big nudge towards parish nursing, and when I saw this opportunity become available, I looked into it further.
‘I live in Parson Cross and I absolutely love the community; I feel the sense of belonging and family there. Someone came into the foodbank the other day who just needed a simple prayer and some hope in their life, so it has been amazing to add that spiritual care to the whole-centred approach.’
The 2025 Impact Report from Parish Nursing Ministries UK describes health as ‘more than the absence of illness. It is the presence of care.’ Parish Nurses like Sophie are Registered Nurses who work in communities from churches and Christian organisations. The Diocese is currently working to support interested parishes in setting up new Parish Nursing Services.
Churches can receive a grant to cover the costs relating to the recruitment of a Parish Nurse (between 7 hours and 28 hours per week) and the set-up costs required in the first year, or in some cases two years, to run a Parish Nurse service. The church will then have to plan for continuation funding for the service. Applications can be made between May 2026 and 30 September 2027, and the Diocese can currently allocate funding to the end of 2028.
Sophie has this advice for people considering going into Parish Nursing:
‘Parish Nursing UK are amazing. They offer lots of different introductory courses and are always more than happy to chat to anyone who’s interested. It’s a different kind of role with flexibility, and as a Christian it’s such an amazing opportunity to add that spiritual care element but also knowing how to help the congregation as well as the community.
‘Bringing the love of Jesus into the community and knowing how to help the community as well is such a privilege.’