The Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust has a new nursing academy in Coxheath.

Baroness Dido Harding, chairwoman of NHS Improvement, was invited to unveil a plaque to mark the centre's official opening.

She and other guests met students and staff before touring the clinical skills lab and listening to a presentation by two students, Sam Edwards and Laura Stoneham.

The academy has already enrolled 43 students, taking part in either a four-year degree-level course to become a registered nurse, or the shorter two-year course to become a nurse associate.

The courses are a new and innovative route into nursing, where students can learn while they earn and combine work-based learning with employment as a healthcare assistant.

Both courses are accredited by the Open University and are thought to be the first of their kind in the UK to be hosted within a community NHS trust.

Kent Community Health’s chairman John Goulston said: “Our academy is a real community success story and our students are testament not only to the hard work they put into their studies, but also to the support they get from both the academy team and from trust colleagues who have welcomed them."

"We are looking forward to the academy going from strength to strength.”

Baroness Harding said: “It was fantastic to be at the launch of the Kent Nursing Academy and to see our future leaders in the pipeline. This initiative is something the whole sector can learn from and help provide greater development, flexibility and support for our future workforce.”

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