Teesside University helping to unite students and nurses to tackle health inequalities

Teesside University is working with The Talent Foundry, an education charity, on a programme which brings together young people, nurse mentors and healthcare leaders to help tackle health inequalities and improve social mobility across the region.

The newly launched Bridge to Nursing programme welcomes students aged 16-18 from schools and colleges across Teesside, representing all of the local authorities in the area.

Through a series of workshops, mentoring and hands-on experience, Bridge to Nursing will support 30 students through an intensive pre-degree programme and reach a further 475 students through wider school-based awareness sessions.

The workshops, supported by 15 nurse mentors from a range of organisations and clinical specialisms, offer students the opportunity to learn directly from professionals working across the health and care system.

The programme aims to build a diverse local talent pipeline into nursing careers and strengthen the future NHS workforce in areas experiencing some of the poorest health outcomes in the UK.

The first session, which took place on Wednesday 4 February, was attended by Dr Ann French, Dean of Teesside University’s School of Health & Life Sciences.

She said: “At Teesside University, we are proud to work with healthcare providers to develop the critical skills needed to support better health outcomes in communities across our region and beyond.

“We believe in the transformative impact of higher education and are committed to ensuring that as many people as possible can benefit from educational opportunities.

“We are delighted to be part of this important programme, which reflects our mission and values as a civic university serving the Tees Valley.”

The Bridge to Nursing programme is delivered by the Talent Foundry in partnership with NHS England North East and Yorkshire, Teesside University, Middlesbrough Council and the Tees Valley Combined Authority.

The programme is funded through Legal & General’s Health Equity Fund, launched in partnership with the UCL Institute of Health Equity, to support place-based initiatives tackling the root causes of health inequality.

When asked what they enjoyed most about the first sessions, students said meeting new people, speaking with mentors, and discovering opportunities within healthcare.

Cate Smith, Director of Programmes and Partnerships at The Talent Foundry, said: “Bridge to Nursing is about tackling entrenched health inequities in Teesside and giving young people the opportunity to shape their own futures and their communities’ health.

“By opening pathways into nursing for talented students who might otherwise be excluded, we will help them fulfil their potential and strengthen the NHS workforce where it is most needed.

“Bringing students and nursing mentors together at the start of this programme helps ignite ambition and unlock potential, showing young people that nursing is an achievable career.”

David Purdue, Chief Nurse for NHS England North East and Yorkshire, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with TTF on this fantastic programme.

“As a health and care system, we have a social responsibility to grow our future nursing workforce to be reflective of the communities they serve, whilst reducing inequalities and promoting social mobility through employment and educational opportunities.

“Education and employment opportunities have long been linked to better health outcomes.

“Giving young people opportunities to pursue a career in nursing will also benefit local populations as once qualified nurses can influence health outcomes in their communities.”

Bridge to Nursing aims to improve educational and employment outcomes for young people and create a scalable model for improving health and social mobility outcomes through place-based collaboration.

This programme also offers NHS and other health and care sector opportunities for professional development through mentoring and volunteering, strengthening links between healthcare providers and the communities they serve.

Its impact will be measured through participant retention, progression into nursing degrees and student and volunteer feedback.

With the need to continue growing interest and applications to nursing programmes, initiatives like Bridge to Nursing are critical to ensuring the NHS has a representative workforce capable of delivering care where it is most needed.

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