City chosen to offer new nursing degree

Sunderland has become one of just seven universities in the UK to offer a new nursing degree to train the lifesavers of tomorrow.

Its trained nurses played an important role in providing support on the NHS frontline during the height of COVID-19.

And now Health Education England has announced that the University of Sunderland and six others will be introducing a blended learning nursing degree programme.

This forms part of the NHS Long Term Plan to help grow the nursing workforce as it has been created to enable wider access to nursing degrees for people who may previously have had barriers to a nursing career.

A University of Sunderland spokesman said: “The innovative, accessible nursing degree programme will start from January 2021 and is designed to create a significantly different offer in nursing education that will establish a professional nurseworkforcesuitedtothe demands of care and service now and in the future.”

Sue Brent, head of the university’s School of Nursing and Health Sciences, said: “We are delighted to be one of the delivery partners of the newblendedlearning nursing degree programme.

“This flexible programme will give students access to learning,whilestillmakingit easy to balance family or carer roles during their studies.

“Working with our NHS Trust partners, the Sunderland programme will be delivered using the latest technologies available to ensure students meet the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) standards to become a registered adult nurse.”