Huddersfield chosen to run new ‘blended learning’ nursing course

Health Education England selected just five universities in the country to pioneer the new programme designed to introduce digital training skills to solve the country’s nursing shortage

THE University of Huddersfield has been selected by Health Education England to play a key role in solving the country’s nurse shortage by pioneering a new course based on digital technology.

Study Nursing at Huddersfield

Described as “world-leading” by the UK Government’s Health Secretary Matt Hancock, it will enable hundreds of students to obtain nursing qualifications even if their circumstances mean they cannot regularly attend the campus.  Instead, they will receive interactive course materials and tutorials online, via specially-provided iPads.

Dr Joanne Garside, who is Director of Health Partnerships in the University’s School of Human and Health Sciences, said that the new digital approach will enable students to be recruited from untapped sectors of society.

“We are aiming to really widen the entry gate to nursing,” she said.

Blended Learning Course

Described as a “blended learning” approach, the new course – starting in early 2021 – is a component of Health Education England’s drive to expand the NHS’s nursing workforce by 50,000 over the next five years.

English Higher Education institutions that deliver nurse education were invited to apply to become centres for the new-style degrees.  This was followed by a rigorous selection process, leading to five standalone universities and two partnerships being selected for the project.

The University of Huddersfield – which already has annual cohorts of more 400 nursing students – was chosen, is one of the standalone institutions in the first year it will recruit some 100 blended learning students from throughout Yorkshire and the North East.  Then the catchment area will expand to include the North West and Lincolnshire, meaning that student numbers could increase significantly.

Dr Garside predicts that people attracted to the new digital courses might include different student groups.  “For example, there might be mums or people in caring roles who need increased flexibility and couldn’t commit to on-campus learning.”

Blended learning nursing routes will be available as undergraduate, postgraduate and apprenticeships degree qualifications.  In order to enrol they will need the same level of qualifications for the traditional learning routes.

Although the majority of the blended learning courses will be delivered digitally, students will still attend the campus for a total of four weeks for simulation and skills training.  Blended learning students will undertake practice placements across NHS and healthcare organisations throughout the different fields of nursing nearer to home.

Digital literacy

It is possible, said Dr Garside, that blended learning students, because of the nature of their courses, will acquire extra levels of digital literacy and this might be an advantage when applying for certain healthcare posts after qualification.

The University of Huddersfield’s School of Human and Health Sciences is now equipping itself with the expertise and the digital technology – including an advanced software package – that it will need to launch and operate the new course.

Head of Nursing and Midwifery Professor Barry Tolchard said: “This new style of nursing course will allow students to learn using the cutting-edge technology, preparing them for future nursing care.”

Applications will open from Autumn 2020 and the courses will begin to run from Spring 2021.