Trailblazing Primary, Community and Social Care Nursing course launched
The University of Huddersfield is pioneering a new approach to nurse education with the launch of its innovative BSc (Hons) Primary, Community and Social Care Nursing programme, designed to prepare nurses for the future of healthcare delivery. The programme is one of the first pre-registration courses of its kind in the country.
Starting in September 2026 and taught in the award-winning Daphne Steele Building, the new programme responds directly to growing national demand for more healthcare to be delivered in local communities, closer to where people live.
The course will focus on prevention, personalised care, long-term condition management and reducing health inequalities, equipping graduates with the skills needed to work across health, social care and community settings.
Discover more about all four courses:
Primary, Community and Social Care Nursing (Adult) BSc(Hons) - University of Huddersfield
Primary, Community and Social Care Nursing (Child) BSc(Hons) - University of Huddersfield
Primary, Community and Social Care Nursing (Mental Health) BSc(Hons) - University of Huddersfield
Students will benefit from learning within the University’s National Health Innovation Campus (NHIC), a unique environment bringing together education, research and healthcare innovation.
More opportunities with proposed Neighbourhood Health Centre
Plans for a new Neighbourhood Health Centre at the campus will further enhance opportunities for practice-based learning, interprofessional education and clinical placements, providing students with valuable experience of modern, integrated models of care.
The proposed Centre will support the delivery of healthcare closer to home, in line with national NHS priorities, and embed facilities for skills development and innovation.
Planned facilities include out-of-hours GP services, urgent primary care, a community pharmacy, multidisciplinary advanced practice clinics, social prescribing infrastructure and community wellbeing services.
The launch comes at a time of significant transformation across the NHS, with an increasing emphasis on neighbourhood-based services, early intervention and integrated care. The University’s new programme has been developed to reflect this shift, placing community-based and preventative healthcare at the heart of nurse education.
Dr Mathew Blears, Acting Head of Department for Nursing, said, “The BSc (Hons) Primary, Community and Social Care Nursing is a pioneering programme that redefines how we prepare nurses for the future. Designed around the shift towards community-based care, it combines educational innovation with the opportunities of the National Health Innovation Campus, equipping nurses to work across integrated systems, lead change and deliver care where it matters most: in people’s communities.
“This programme represents a major step forward by placing community-based, preventative and integrated care at the centre of the student experience, reflecting the realities of where healthcare is increasingly being delivered.
“Our graduates will be equipped to improve population health, address health inequalities and support people to live healthier lives within their own communities.”
Graduates of the programme will be eligible to register with the Nursing and Midwifery Council and will be well placed to lead new models of care focused on prevention, early intervention and improved population health outcomes.
The new Primary, Community and Social Care Nursing programme reinforces the University of Huddersfield's position at the forefront of healthcare education, helping to develop the nursing workforce needed to meet the changing health needs of communities across the region and beyond.