A major review into nursing education will be conducted later this year by Lord Willis of Knaresborough.
Health Education England (HEE) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) will launch the review in May, the Nursing Times has reported.
The review will consider ways that older people might be encouraged into nursing, rather than recruitment focusing only on the young, Lord Willis told The Telegraph.
A spokesperson from the NMC confirmed that the regulator will co-chair the sponsoring board alongside HEE and that more information about the review is expected in the next few weeks.
A spokesperson from HEE was unable to comment in detail about how the review will affect the training of community and practice nurses, saying it was still too early in the review process.
'The review will make recommendations for the reform of nursing and healthcare assistant education and training in England. The review will be mindful of the broader UK and EU context,' the spokesperson said.
'The sponsoring boards will be co-chaired by Professor Lisa Bayliss-Pratt, director of nursing at HEE, and Jackie Smith, chief executive officer at the NMC.'
The review will make recommendations for the improvement of pre- and post-registration nursing and healthcare assistant education and training, with the aim of producing high-calibre healthcare professionals, who are able to meet the changing needs of the English population, according to HEE.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has also stated that compassion in nursing will be at the core of the review, The Telegraph reported.
The first steering group is expected to meet in mid-May. Lord Willis is expected to produce a final report for the sponsoring board by January 2015.
Lord Willis carried out a review into pre-registration nursing education in 2012. The Willis Report recommended that nursing should become a degree profession. All students beginning courses in 2013 will graduate with degrees.