Brighton academic earns award nomination for experimental nursing initiative to fill community care gap

Born out of challenges in finding placement opportunities in clinical settings for nursing students, the “Welcome to our World” (WOW) project was developed by Lisa Ford and her team to connect students with families who have children and young people with complex health needs.

Lisa, who is a senior lecturer and practice learning lead for children’s nursing students at the University of Brighton, said: “Finding placement locations for 2,300 hours of experiential learning can be challenging, especially for our child nursing students. However, with my background as a community nurse looking after children at home, I am aware of the existing gap in community care, and I was keen to see how we could explore that as a placement opportunity. That is what inspired the WOW project, and I am thrilled we were able to bring it to life.”

Lisa Ford with WOW students

Under the pilot project, parents with children needing such care were assigned students, mainly from the Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship, to spend time learning about their lived experiences of caring for the children. Through weekly home visits in a real-world family-nurse interaction, students gained invaluable insights into the challenges and realities faced by families while developing essential skills in holistic, person-centred care.

Nursing students are required by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to achieve a minimum of 2,300 supervised practice learning hours. The WOW project provided additional practice learning opportunities for students in line with the NMC’s Standards.

Samantha Kavanagh, who was one of the apprentice learners on the project, said: “The WOW project will no doubt have a lasting impact on my practice. Not only was it an excellent opportunity to liaise with, and learn from a multidisciplinary team of health practitioners, but it also gave me the chance to understand the impact living with chronic and/or complex needs has on the whole family. It has reinforced the value of communication between both health and education and the importance of always looking at the bigger picture. I will take this experience with me throughout my career as I continue to support families in the community.”

Another apprentice learner, Justina Ward, said: “The WOW project gave me a unique opportunity to see things from the family and young person’s perspective. The nuance that comes from understanding the patient’s needs is a great motivation to go above and beyond to support them. And I am happy that I could be a part of it”.

Angela Glynn, Dean of the School of Education, Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Brighton, said: “Lisa’s nomination is a testament to the power of collaboration between students, service users, and the university. The WOW project demonstrates how innovative partnerships can create valuable new practice learning opportunities for child nursing students in our local area.

“I want to say a huge congratulations to Lisa and to our fantastic apprentice learners for their work delivering this initiative and wish them the very best of luck.”

Lisa and other shortlisted nominees will present their projects to a panel of judges on Tuesday 25 March. The winners will be announced at the Student Nursing Times Awards ceremony on Friday 2 May 2025, at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel in London.