How we can deliver the nursing recruitment revolution together

As a starting point, bigger and better marketing campaigns will be needed for recruitment. Beyond that, there will need to be a wider revolution in healthcare to face the challenges of post-Covid-19 society, which impact our health service and the demands placed on it. This will be in terms of how and when people access healthcare learning, how this is supported by NHS employers, and making sure there are a host of different pathways into long-lasting NHS careers.

There needs to be a focus on the following:

Changing perceptions

First, that means making entry and progress through a nursing career as practical a proposition and attractive as possible. For mature learners, finding the money to go back into education is still the greatest barrier. There are particular ‘cold spots’ around the UK with a higher proportion of people who cannot afford to give up their job to study; are worried about finding the time and paying for travel costs for placements; and in general, don’t see higher education as being ‘for them’. Many simply do not live near a suitable educational institution, or feel their opportunity has passed them by.

We also need to work on busting myths about who nursing is for, to improve diversity and open up new pools of male recruits in particular. Further Education Colleges and schools will need to have a greater role in ‘selling’ a career in healthcare to future generations.

Flexibility

The Open University (OU) has traditionally widened participation in learning through the provision of flexible, accessible courses, breaking down barriers and enabling people of all ages and educational backgrounds to engage with learning. The OU is currently working with the University of Oxford, Middlesex University and the University of the West of England on helping non-traditional students enter nursing education and stay in employment in the local area – like 90% of OU students do across all its programmes.

There needs to be an expansion in terms of the range of options to enter nursing and the routes through; more of a ‘scaffolding’ approach where more people at all ages and stages of their careers can experience nursing and make a step up, such as through T-levels, as a health support worker, by taking on ‘bank work’, or through volunteering schemes.

Through its flexible, online model, the OU has broken down geographical barriers by delivering nursing education to more rural communities. This works well for learners with families and caring commitments who find classroom requirements a challenge.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships have already shown they have high potential in giving people the opportunity to earn and learn at the same time, without paying tuition fees — and have had a valuable initial impact on reducing nursing shortages. Based on data from the Department of Education for 2022-23, the OU is the largest provider of the registered nurse degree apprenticeship.

Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, as one example, has seen how its apprenticeships with the OU have been a valuable option for existing staff and have found it possible to juggle on-the-job learning. The trust has reported a 99% retention rate among staff who took a nursing degree apprenticeship. However, across the country, attrition rates on nursing courses can be high, so it’s important to learn from success stories.

Nerys Bolton

Lifelong learning

Fundamentally, there needs to be a shift in attitudes towards learning. As mentioned, schools and colleges have a role to play promoting healthcare. But the sector can’t rely solely on 16 to 18-year-olds young making long-term career decisions while in school.

Employers, individuals and policymakers need to adopt a broader lifelong learning mindset. Older employees need to be brought back into education and the OU has many examples of students undertaking nursing qualifications in later life. Some of these nurses have moved to new and exciting roles, such as specialist nurses, nurse practitioners and nurse consultants, with some even going into academia or training and mentoring roles.

Collaboration

We need to recognise that nurses themselves will be important ‘change agents’ in what happens next. The infrastructure needs to include the availability of resources to support students when they are out in practice. Existing NHS staff (especially nurses as former students themselves) can support placements, apprenticeships, career changes, new recruit induction and other recruitment schemes. Between us — governments, education providers, the NHS and nurses — we can create a new virtuous circle; attracting, developing and retaining staff. As nurses we want to care and support people, but we need enough skilled staff to do that — creating the right environment to facilitate that is essential.

Nerys Bolton is associate head of school (curriculum and innovation) in the School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care, The Open University