Health chiefs on lookout for nurse trainees

A North East health trust is inviting applications to become a mental health nurse.

Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) is the first trust in the region to offer a mental health or learning disability nurse degree apprenticeship to aspiring nurses.

Applications for the Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship, which was previously only offered to employees of the Trust, are now open, with a closing date of 5pm on May 28.

In conjunction with the University of Sunderland, the course offers successful applicants paid employment and education through a combination of supernumerary learning and working in a nursing environment.

The course allows people the opportunity to earn and learn.

Gary O’Hare, CNTW’s chief nurse, said: “This fiveyear apprenticeship programme opens the door to attract applicants who want to earn and learn.”

Simone Bedford, Team Leader for Professional Healthcare Practice and Midwifery at the University of Sunderland, said: "The University of Sunderland has worked with CNTW for many years, supporting the Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship with internal staff and this has been hugely successful. The expansion of the programme to non CNTW staff is a great opportunity for the Trust to go further in ‘growing its own’ nurses.”

Interviews will be held on July 19 and 20, with successful applicants having three months of work experience before they begin the fiveyear course in January 2022.

To apply, search for CNTW on the NHS Jobs site https:// www.jobs.nhs.uk/