The programme strengthens the long-standing partnership between the University of Brighton and Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (SPFT) to deliver health degrees including Nursing (Mental Health) BSc(Hons).
Students on this three-year degree course spend around 50% of their time on placement with community teams who work with mental health recovery, in-patient mental health services, older adults both in the community and on inpatient wards and in child and adolescent mental health services.
Many of these placements are with SPFT, which looks after a population of more than 1.7 million people and is the seventh largest health facility in the country. From summer 2024, successful graduates will be guaranteed a position with SPFT without the need for an interview.
The new initiative was introduced to the newest cohort of student mental health nurses at University of Brighton's Falmer campus.
From left to right: Professor Debra Humphris CBE, Vice-Chancellor, University of Brighton; Teresa Barker, Chief Nursing Officer, SPFT; Dr Jane Padmore, Chief Executive, SPTF; Mark Smith, Chief People Officer at University Hospitals Sussex; Angela, Funmi Onamusi, Chief People Officer, SPFT; Dr David Walker, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of Brighton