Peter McKee: 'I will always be eternally grateful' - Sheffield artist thanks hospital staff after heart surgery

The space has undergone refurbishment with funding from Sheffield Hospitals Charity and is designed to be a calming environment where patients can go before and after specialist cardiac surgery.

During the visit, McKee met chief nurse Chris Morley and those who cared for him during his treatment at the hospital. He also presented the team with a copy of his painting The Handover.

The artwork is inspired by his stay at the hospital in 2021, following a heart valve replacement, and shows a group of nurses in the process of doing a handover from a night shift to the oncoming morning staff.

McKee said: “Every time I meet any nurses it is always a humbling experience; they do amazing work and I will always be eternally grateful to them.

"It was an honour to be asked to reopen the room, which I had first-hand experience of using as a patient.”

Gareth Aston, the CEO of Sheffield Hospitals Charity added: “We were delighted that Pete could come and open the room on behalf of the charity.

"It was even more poignant, given that it was a space used by Pete when he was in hospital, to see his positive feedback on the changes made.”