Background
Wardoper was born at West Burton, West Sussex as Sarah Elizabeth Bisshopp around 1814.
Wardoper was born at West Burton, West Sussex as Sarah Elizabeth Bisshopp around 1814.
A 42-year-old widow with four children, Wardroper had had no nursing experience apart from looking after her own family, nevertheless her general level of education, good organizational skills and appropriate manner were sufficient for her appointment as matron at Street Thomas" Hospital in January 1854. Although nursing was still largely a disreputable occupation. She made Street Thomas" a model of reformed, professional, nursing and in 1860, with the creation of the training school for nurses by the Nightingale Fund at the same hospital, she was appointed superintendent.
Florence Nightingale selected Street Thomas" Hospital as the site for her new nurse training school, largely because of Wardroper"s qualities (and those of the enlightened resident medical officer, RG Whitfield).
Nightingale, Wardroper and Whitfield worked together to establish the new school, the first secular training school for nurses in the world. Wardroper, however, was not so interested in the school.
She was and remained, for Nightingale, a "hospital genius", for her ability to deploy nurses efficiently throughout the hospital and advise on the introduction of trained nurses in other institutions. She and Henry Bonham Carter, as the secretary of the Nightingale Fund Council, worked closely together for decades to send out teams of trained matrons and nurses from Street Thomas" to bring in the new high standards to other hospitals.
She took visitors to Street Thomas" to show how the reformed system operated, and visited hospitals on Nightingale"s behalf which were considering the introduction of trained nursing
Her important role can be seen in "South.E. Wardroper, Superintendent 1860-1887". On Wardroper"s death, Florence Nightingale wrote, "The Reform of Sick Nursing and the Late Mrs Wardroper".