Partnership of the Year

Liverpool John Moores University

This partnership between Liverpool John Moores University’s School of Nursing and Advanced Practice and the Northwest Regional Endoscopy Academy creates a dynamic, integrated learning environment for healthcare trainees. By blending academic rigor, immersive clinical experience, and innovative simulation, the collaboration ensures students gain comprehensive skills in endoscopy and broader patient care. Students connect theoretical knowledge to real-world contexts, supported by mentors, reflective sessions, and a robust curriculum aligned with professional standards. Emphasising communication, dignity, and patient-centeredness, the program fosters skilled, empathetic practitioners. Ultimately, this alliance exemplifies excellence in healthcare education, inspiring students to deliver quality, inclusive care throughout their careers.

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust & Teesside University

Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Teesside University have forged a successful partnership to support Student Nursing Associates since 2018. At the centre of this partnership is the shared drive and goal to support learners to become competent, safe and compassionate practitioners. This is achieved by open lines of communication between both organisations to support and nurture learners and assessors and supervisors to assist the learners to fulfil their ambition to become a responsible and accountable practitioner. This is achieved by a solid foundation of support, communication and the instilling of safe evidence based practice from both organisations.

NHS North East London Health and Care Partnership

Our partnership formed in 2017 with 3 NHS Trusts and 2 Universities, growing to a North-East London (NEL) wide partnership incorporating all 5 NHS Trusts, primary/social care, the local hospice, and 4 universities. We also extended our remit to include Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeships (RNDAs). To date we have started 791 apprentices. The partnership provides oversight, collaboration, coordination, creativity and development, supporting strong quality assurance for our programmes across all settings. At 14%, the attrition rate is significantly lower than the average for NEL apprenticeships, with SNAs achieving higher marks for theory and practice modules than direct entry NA students.

South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Teesside University

The Cancer Placement is an innovative programme to broaden opportunities for student nurses within oncology. The teaching environment offers interesting and engaging ways of learning involving highly interactive sessions, virtual reality, immersive simulation and role play, providing opportunities for student nurses to learn within a safe learning environment, as well as the experience of working in practice with specialist cancer nursing teams and oncology services. The placement aims to develop student nurses’ knowledge, skills and confidence in caring for cancer patients and their families and supporting them through their cancer journey, building a sustainable and knowledgeable future cancer nursing workforce.

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust

The development of the Digital Clinical Placement was underpinned by a strong partnership between Universities (staff and students), NHS organisations, and bereavement experts. This collaboration brought together diverse perspectives, including students with personal bereavement experiences, to co-create a virtual learning environment. Regular meetings ensured all stakeholders, from midwives to chaplaincy teams, contributed equally to the project’s success. The DCP emphasised interprofessional working, leadership, and resilience-building while addressing gaps in bereavement education. Piloted with 90 students in 2024, the initiative showcased how collaborative efforts enhance student preparedness, improve patient care, and highlight the importance of teamwork in addressing complex maternity

The Cheshire and Merseyside Rehabilitation Network and The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust

The Cheshire and Merseyside Rehabilitation Network (CMRN) and Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) collaborate on an education initiative for rehabilitation nurses. The master's module, "Complex Rehabilitation in the Multidisciplinary Team Context," offers the opportunity for nurses to strengthen their skills in holistic care across various rehabilitation settings. Co-designed with stakeholders, the module focuses on clinical practice and MDT collaboration. It addresses gaps in MDT education, aiming to enhance nursing capacity and quality in rehabilitation. The module has received positive feedback, contributing to improved MDT performance/outcomes. Endorsed by the BSPRM, this is first collaboration of its kind in the UK.

University of Bradford with New Vision Bradford/Waythrough

This project is a novel, innovative partnership between the University of Bradford School of Nursing and New Vision Bradford Drug Service. In response to rising drug overdose statistics in England, and a lack of appropriate skills in the nursing workforce to meet this challenge, this project aimed to give student nurses the knowledge to provide basic harm reduction advice, spot the signs of an overdose, and to know how to safely intervene, using naloxone where appropriate. Using theoretical and practical components, authentic personal and clinical storytelling, and immersive simulation, we have now trained over 700 student nurses with outstanding evaluation.

University of Chester and University of Dundee

We have recently been working as a national collaborative with colleagues from universities and practice learning areas, to develop some guidance and resources to support achievement proficiencies. As stage one in this programme workstream, we have developed the ‘Guidance for the Assessment of Proficiencies for Pre-Registration Nurses:’. The guidance has been devised to support pre-registration nurses and practice educators, during the assessment process and in generating evidence for the completion of proficiencies.

University of Glasgow

We capitalised on a unique opportunity when invited by Scottish Fire and Rescue to participate in an immersive, multi-agency major incident simulation. The live exercise provided students with the novel opportunity of being immersed in interprofessional working, across disciplines and agencies. The experience of educators and students has been disseminated nationally and internationally. Nursing, paramedic and medical students were supported in a successful abstract submission and poster presentation at a national simulation conference. In terms of sustainability, teaching resources and materials were repurposed to facilitate classroom-based simulation, with intended learning objectives being adapted to suit the stage of learner.

University of Liverpool

The School of Allied Health Professionals and Nursing at the University of Liverpool works in partnership with People First Merseyside and MOWLL (Moving in with life and learning). These learning disability organisations promote social inclusion and justice, all core qualities within nursing. The partnership provides interactive sessions on topics such as challenging stereotypes and prejudices that exist within healthcare for adults with a learning disability, honest conversations about death and dying and inclusion of this population in these conversations and a workshop on health passports and their importance in care delivery. These innovative practices translate learning from an academic setting.