Salisbury NHS Trust explores education options

Senior leaders from Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, Coventry University Group, Wiltshire Council and Wiltshire College & University Centre met at Salisbury District Hospital on Friday, 4th November, to discuss an opportunity to work together to support the expansion of health education in Wiltshire.

Stacey Hunter, CEO of Salisbury Foundation Trust, said: “This is an outstanding opportunity to bring the experiences and knowledge of Coventry University Group in developing higher education to Wiltshire. Coventry University has a track record with a number of important developments both in the UK and abroad. We are committed to taking this opportunity to work together with our partners to make major improvements in South Wiltshire by providing an expanded training offer, helping recruitment and retention for local employers, and increasing economic activity.

“The development of improved higher education will be a major element of the Trust’s plans to make improvements to the Salisbury Hospital site.”

Coventry University Group has over 50,000 learners studying in more than 40 different countries and collaborations with 150 higher education providers worldwide, and Coventry University Vice-Chancellor Professor John Latham, CBE, is looking forward to continuing the discussions.

“Our aim is to deliver transformational change for our students, collaborators and communities across the globe and we were honoured to be invited to share our expertise with local NHS, education and local government leaders at Salisbury District Hospital.

Professor John Latham, Coventry University Vice-Chancellor

He continued, “We have a track record of working with NHS Trusts in areas with higher education gaps to address staff shortages, with the majority of our latest nursing graduates from our CU Scarborough site going straight into the local workforce.

“We have more than 5,000 students currently studying healthcare courses in Coventry, Scarborough, London and online who will ultimately join the NHS and other care providers, and we have also expanded our health offer in London, working with Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and other collaborators to offer courses for professional registered health qualifications at our Hudson Building.

“We look forward to continuing discussions into the possibilities of helping people in the Salisbury and Wiltshire area gain access to high-quality education.”

Iain Hatt, Principal & CEO of Wiltshire College & University Centre, said: "We are delighted to be talking with Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust, Wiltshire Council and Coventry University Group regarding the prospect of further developing healthcare education in Salisbury and Wiltshire.

“We hope that these discussions will lead to exciting new opportunities for healthcare students from the area and also allow us to ensure the provision of our own healthcare courses meets the needs of the workplace.”