The inaugural cohort of eight students has begun studying for a Registered Nursing Degree through a programme delivered by Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (BFT) and BPP University.
It gives people from Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire who might not have otherwise felt able to undertake a Registered Nursing Degree access to training with financial support.
The programme is the first of its kind, with BFT providing sponsorship funding of £2,500 per year for all three years of the degree programme. This will go towards each student’s course fees, meaning they require a smaller tuition fee loan through Student Finance and reducing their overall student debt.
The Trust will also host all clinical placements at Southmead Hospital, removing the need for students to relocate or commute long distances far from home.
The students come from a variety of different backgrounds with various levels of NHS experience, each with their own reasons for applying.
Lillie, 22, has never worked in healthcare but was inspired to become a nurse after witnessing the care and compassion nursing staff demonstrated towards her and her entire family while her grandad was a patient and sadly passed away at Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) earlier this year. It’s important to her that she has access to her support network of family and friends as she begins training for her new career. This programme will allow her to stay in the familiar surroundings of her home city, while the financial support will help ease the pressure of student loan repayments once she graduates.
Fatou has worked in healthcare for nearly 15 years, most recently as a Senior Healthcare Support Worker at the BRI, and will be starting university at the same time as her son. This programme means she doesn’t have to worry about being assigned placements far from home and away from her other two children as she takes the next steps in a career she’s been working towards for many years.
She said: “For me, nursing is about taking care of people, getting to be a part of helping someone get better and giving something back to my community. I want to make my children proud and show them that if I can do this at my age, they can achieve anything they set their minds to.”
Nursing colleagues are an essential part of all BFT’s hospitals, and it’s a profession that many find incredibly rewarding, with many potential specialities and opportunities for onward progression. This investment in nurturing the next generation of nurses and NHS professionals from within its own community will help future-proof BFT’s hospitals and services so that it can continue providing patients with the best possible care, whilst also creating employment opportunities for the local population.
Students are also eligible for funding through the NHS Learning Support Fund, which includes a £5,000 per year training grant to be used at the student’s discretion to pay off their student loan early or support with living expenses. In addition, they’ll be supported with accessing additional support and professional mentoring through the Trust, and after finishing their degree, will be offered a Registered Nursing role at BFT following a successful interview.
Prof Steve Hams, Chief Nursing and Improvement Officer for Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“It’s fantastic to see this first cohort start our Sponsored Nursing Degree Programme and hear about their passion for nursing, as well as the ways in which this new initiative will benefit them and their families.
“This programme is about much more than providing financial support – it’s about creating opportunity, widening participation and investing in the future nursing workforce within our local communities.
“As a nurse of over 30 years, I’m proud to lead our nursing teams at BFT and look forward to seeing our students grow and thrive throughout their training before officially joining us as fully qualified Nurses.”
Applications are now open to join Cohort 2, starting Spring 2027. More information can be found on BPP's website.