Tackling the mental health nurse shortage: First graduates qualify through Priory and University of Bolton apprenticeship scheme
Date: 28th October 2024
A pioneering cohort of 19 apprentices have become the first to graduate from a new programme which aims to help tackle a nationwide mental health nurse shortage.
Priory and the University of Bolton launched a nurse degree apprenticeship programme jointly in 2021, with training delivered by nurses at Priory sites supported by online learning from university lecturers.
All nurse apprentices on the programme receive experience in providing patient care at Priory hospitals, with this latest initiative following on from previous apprenticeship schemes run by both organisations.
In total, Priory has enrolled more than 125 nurse apprenticeships to date, with most beginning their careers as healthcare assistants at Priory.
Now, the first apprentices from the new, integrated apprenticeship programme with the University of Bolton have graduated to become full-time nurses – and one of the group, Morgan Taylor, has been recognised by the University of Bolton as ‘Apprentice of the Year’.
Morgan, who enrolled in the nurse apprenticeship programme in September 2021 while employed as a healthcare assistant at Priory Hospital Ticehurst, said: “I started this course with little confidence in my ability to become a nurse, but over the years I have felt more confident and comfortable in my skills.
“I feel really proud of myself. I truly feel like I’ve found my calling and I am really looking forward to becoming a newly qualified nurse in the next few months.
“I never thought that I would be up for an award, let alone for Apprentice of the Year. I am so very grateful to everyone that has supported me through the past three years.”
Morgan recalled her biggest challenge was overcoming a period of poor mental health during her second training year.
She said: “I really struggled to the point I thought the only way through it was to have to leave the course. However, with the support of my peers, family, my tutor Cath and Hannah at the University of Bolton, I was able to continue.
“I now feel - as someone who has previously been supported by mental health nurses - that I have valuable insight into how to support my patients.”
Hannah Kerry, programme lead for mental health nursing at the University of Bolton, said: “Morgan's dedication shines through in everything she does, making her an outstanding individual who gives her all. She has been a pleasure to have on the programme, and we wish her every success in her career as a mental health nurse.”
The nurse degree apprenticeship course delivers industry-recognised standards, with elements of on-the-job and off-the-job training.
New figures released by the university admissions service UCAS and the Royal College of Nursing reveal the number of people accepted onto university nursing courses fell by up to 40% in parts of England between 2020 and 2023.
There are 748,528 Nurses on the permanent NMC register in the UK, according to latest figures, including 97,530 mental health nurses, but there are 46,828 nursing vacancies in the NHS alone.
The shortage has led to Priory recruiting and developing specialist nurses more innovatively than ever before, through projects like the new nurse apprenticeship programme.
Across all services, Priory has grown its headcount by nearly 2,000 additional full-time equivalent roles over the last two years, including by reducing staff turnover by 19% in the last year and 32% over the past two years.
Colin Quick, chief quality officer and chief nurse at Priory, said: “We’re proud to see the first cohort of Priory nurse degree apprentices graduate and become fully qualified nurses, as we continue to focus on new ways to provide the very best care and treatment to the patients and residents in our services.
“Each and every one of our newly qualified nurses will go on to make a lasting impact on the lives of many, many people. There can be no more rewarding career choice. I have been hugely impressed by their commitment, professionalism and compassion.”
As newly-qualified nurses beginning their nursing careers at Priory, they will now benefit from a preceptorship programme, which received a quality mark from NHS England earlier this year.
Priory, the UK’s largest independent mental health and social care provider, was the first independent mental health provider in the country to be awarded the National Preceptorship Interim Quality Mark by NHS England for its Nursing Preceptorship Programme.
Preceptorships are the way in which newly registered professionals, including nurses, are welcomed into an organisation and supported to develop in their role. According to NHS England, a successful programme enables individuals to “build confidence as they transition from student to autonomous professional”.
Priory, which operates healthcare and adult social care sites across the UK, supports more than 28,000 people a year. More than 84% of Priory services are rated ‘good’ or better by regulators, which is above the national average for equivalent services.
To enquire about joining Priory, or pursuing a nursing apprenticeship, contact [email protected] or visit the careers at Priory website.
ENDS
Contact: [email protected]
About Priory and MEDIAN Group
Priory is the UK’s largest independent provider of mental health and adult social care services. Priory treats more than 70 conditions, including depression, anxiety, addictions and eating disorders, as well as children’s mental health, across its nationwide network of sites. Priory also supports autistic adults and adults with a learning disability, Prader-Willi Syndrome and brain injuries, as well as older people, within specialist residential care and supported living facilities – helping as many people as possible to live their lives.
Priory is part of the MEDIAN Group, the leading European provider of high-quality mental health and rehabilitation services. The MEDIAN Group comprises: Priory in the UK with 290 facilities and 5,000 beds caring for 28,000 people, MEDIAN in Germany with 120 facilities and 20,000 beds caring for around 250,000 patients, and Hestia in Spain with 15 facilities and 2,100 beds caring for 11,000 people in Spain, with more than 29,000 employees across the group.