New nurses to be trained to degree level
New nurses to be trained to degree level following Department of Health announcement
Thursday, 12, Nov 2009 10:51
By Sarah Garrod.
All new nurses in England will be educated to degree level from 2013, the Department of Health has announced today.
Health minister Ann Keen said the minimum level for pre-registration courses for nurses will be raised from diploma to degree level and these courses will meet new standards developed by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), the professional regulator for nursing.
There will be a focus on community health terms in the new training, rather than the current training which involves a combination of theoretical and practical work as nurses work towards a diploma.
The new standards, which are open to consultation, will include a focus on giving students community health experience.
The proposals have been made following recommendations from the Nursing and Midwifery Council. NMC chief executive and registrar, Dickon Weir-Hughes said: "The NMC are very pleased to announce the timescale for the introduction of our new Standards for pre-registration nursing education.
"The public rightly expect to receive high quality care from nurses. The new standards will be a cornerstone in ensuring that nurses are able to meet these expectations and continue to provide safe and effective care in the future."
Wales has been running a similar scheme since 2004, where nurses are trained to degree level.
Speaking ahead of the Chief Nursing Officer's Summit in Gateshead, health minister Ann Keen said: "Nurses are the largest single profession within the health service, and are critical to the delivery of high quality health care.
"By bringing in degree level registration we can ensure new nurses have the best possible start to meet the challenges of tomorrow.
"Degree level education will provide new nurses with the decision-making skills they need to make high-level judgements in the transformed NHS."