Former nurses will be able to return to work in any setting through HEE's 'Come Back' campaign, based on placements undertaken in training.
Former nurses will be able to return to work in any setting through HEE's 'Come Back' campaign, based on placements undertaken in training.
HEE have advised that nurses can return to work in the setting of their choice regardless of where they practised before. The placements provided by the course will match the area of practice the nurses wish to return to, whether that is in the community or in a hospital, mental health or learning disability setting.
Janice Stevens, HEE director for Midlands and East, who is spearheading the campaign, cited the nursing shortage as the reason for setting up the campaign. 'The need for nurses has grown in the last few years. While it is important to train new nurses, that takes three years. We heard a lot of anecdotal evidence about nurses with lapsed registrations wanting to return to practice, so created the campaign because it is vital that the process is as easy and positive as possible for nurses returning to practice,' she said.
The campaign, which began on 29 September, aims to make the process of returning to practice easier and aims to recruit nurses quicker.
HEE has also announced that it will use £4.7 million of funding for training resources for returning nurses. As part of the campaign, courses will be paid for, and applicants can request additional financial support for childcare and other costs.
Over 40 universities in England will provide courses for nurses returning to practice.
They will consist of a mixture of classroom and placement-based learning, with a minimum of 75 hours of clinical practice over the course of three months.
HEE will use social media to disseminate information about the large number of return to practice programmes around the country.
For more information visit: the HEE website. To keep up to date with the campaign on Twitter, search for #comebacktonursing.