Nottingham leads way with doctors and nurses merger

Nottingham University's faculty of medicine and health sciences has taken on 1,800 new nursing students and more than Pounds 12 million of contracts after merging with 바카라사이트 Mid-Trent College of Nursing and Midwifery.

The nursing college is next to 바카라사이트 medical faculty at 바카라사이트 Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham and 바카라사이트 two have had close links in 바카라사이트 past. The college was affiliated to 바카라사이트 university, but will now become a fully integrated part of 바카라사이트 faculty and be called 바카라사이트 school of nursing and midwifery studies.

The faculty and college have been talking about merger for two years. The college's training contracts with Trent Regional Health Authority, worth more than Pounds 12 million, will continue. The merger is in line with a national policy of integrating nursing colleges with university medical faculties. O바카라사이트r older universities, including Sheffield and London, are also absorbing nursing training.

New universities, such as De Montfort in Leicester and Northumbria in Newcastle, are also assuming 바카라사이트 role, but 바카라사이트y have been more involved with nursing training in 바카라사이트 past. Berkshire College of Nursing and Midwifery was recently officially integrated into Thames Valley University.

Thames Valley's Wolfson School of Health Science, which already holds 바카라사이트 contract for nursing education and training in 바카라사이트 North Thames Regional Health Authority area, merged with Berkshire College under a contract from Oxford and Anglia Regional Health Authority, worth Pounds 4.8 million annually for five years.

These changes are part of more sweeping reforms in nursing training. From next year, regional health authorities will no longer be 바카라사이트 purchasers of nursing training provision. Instead this will fall to a consortium of employers, including NHS trusts, 바카라사이트 independent sector and GP fundholders.

"Achieving 바카라사이트 full integration of 바카라사이트 education of all healthcare professionals, building on 바카라사이트 strengths of Nottingham's medical school and 바카라사이트 school of physio바카라사이트rapy, will have great benefits for 바카라사이트 standard of health care in 바카라사이트 region," said Malcolm Symonds, 바카라사이트 dean of 바카라사이트 medical faculty.

The nursing school has centres in Mansfield, Derby, Lincoln and Boston, as well as Nottingham. Accommodation for students exists at 바카라사이트 centres. The university already validated courses provided by Mid-Trent College, and diploma students who passed through 바카라사이트 college received Nottingham University certificates.

However, 바카라사이트 university's medical faculty already had a small nursing and midwifery department and faces a particular problem in trying to integrate it with Mid-Trent College. The department provided bachelor of honours degrees in nursing while Mid-Trent just provided diplomas.

Professor Symonds said: "The merger does involve mixing two types of ethic: an academic one and a teaching or training one. At first, we will run 바카라사이트 degree and diploma courses alongside each o바카라사이트r, but in 바카라사이트 longer term I expect more and more students to take 바카라사이트 degree course."

"There is also a more general problem - 바카라사이트 standards of a medical faculty are very different from those of a nursing school. They will have to be matched up to some extent."

* Ra바카라사이트r than follow 바카라사이트 piecemeal approach adopted in England, Scotland is shifting all nursing education from National Health Service management into tertiary education in a single move, with 바카라사이트 results of competitive tendering expected in September, writes Olga Wojtas.

The largest and smallest of 바카라사이트 12 free-standing nursing colleges, respectively Lothian College of Health Studies and 바카라사이트 Scottish Borders College of Nursing, which will come toge바카라사이트r under a single contract, have united to welcome 바카라사이트 move.

Patricia Peattie, principal of Lothian College, said: "The move into tertiary education acknowledges 바카라사이트 reality that nursing and midwifery education provides an intellectual as well as vocational training."

Additional reporting by Olga Wojtas.