A first for Kent NHS trust’s newly qualified community nurses

Four years ago, Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust recruited its first cohort of registered nursing degree apprentices.

After a lot of hard work, determination and the arrival of a few babies, they have completed the journey, taking up roles across the trust as fully-qualified nurses.

They are the first students to complete the four-year programme through the trust’s Clinical Academy, which was set up in 2019 to help recruit and train nurses.

While some were new recruits, others were healthcare assistants already working at the trust and ready to take the next step in their careers.

The course involved degree level study through The Open University, with student placements in a variety of trust services and a work-based role in the community.

Dreams of becoming a nurse became a reality for Laura Stoneham (pictured), 38, of Chatham, thanks to the apprenticeship.

Not only did she achieve a first-class honours, she also had two babies during the four-year apprenticeship.

“I was really excited when I first started the programme. I was 34 and it was a life-changing opportunity for me, a chance to gain my nursing qualification and follow in my family’s footsteps – both my mum and stepmum are nurses.

“When I left school I fell into a job in the travel industry, but it was never the career I’d imagined for myself.

“I’d always felt that nursing was in my blood and I wanted to follow that dream, but at that point going back into full-time education was not an option.

“When I did eventually leave the travel industry it was a step towards nursing. I got a job at a mental health trust as a healthcare assistant.

“This experience was enough to help me realise that nursing was what I wanted to do.

“It wasn’t until I saw an advert for the registered nurse degree apprenticeship at KCHFT that I realised it could become a reality.

“It was a way for me to gain my qualification and earn a wage at the same time, so I jumped at the opportunity.

“It took a lot of resilience and determination to succeed. Not only did we have a global pandemic to contend with, I also had my two babies during those four years.

“I didn’t want that to mean leaving the programme and I am really lucky that I had the support of my partner and family to get through it. It meant a lot of juggling, but the trust was really supportive and helped negotiate my placements so that I could still complete on time.

“At the end of the four years, I’m a fully qualified nurse which is an amazing feeling.

“It’s win-win for everyone, I’ve gained a qualification and the trust has gained a group of amazing nurses who will make a real difference to patients. And the best part – I didn’t have to put my life on pause to achieve it.”

Julie Jeffries, head of KCHFT’s Clinical Academy, said: “We are so proud of our newly-qualified nurses and the journey they have been on over the past four years.

“In that time, they have faced lots of challenges, but they have managed to stay on track and not only complete the course, but pass with flying colours, with nine receiving first-class honours. It’s an amazing achievement.

“The apprenticeship route works really well for us and our nursing apprentices.

“With a blend of learning, placements and direct experience in our nursing teams, it opens up new opportunities for those who can’t go to university full-time. It’s also great for recruitment - our newly-qualified nurses will fill roles across our community settings, which they are already familiar working in.”

KCHFT’s Clinical Academy was launched in 2019 offering an ‘earn while you learn’ route into nursing.

Today, as well as supporting nursing careers, the academy also supports pathways into allied health professions (AHP) including occupational therapy, physiotherapy and podiatry.

It also offers a route back in to nursing and AHP careers through return to practice programmes.

For more information about careers at the trust, visit www.kentcht.nhs.uk/careers/