With a
global reputation for high quality Nursing degrees, Northumbria University,
Newcastle has been chosen to train more nurses in Malta to help the country’s national
nursing shortage.
Supported
by the Maltese Government, Malta Enterprise and the Malta Union of Midwives
and Nurses (MUMN), a contract has been agreed which will see Northumbria deliver a new
full time three year BSc (Hons) Nursing Studies degree programme in Malta, in
collaboration with Malta College of Arts Science and Technology (MCAST).
The new €2
million programme, funded by Singapore company Vitals Global Healthcare, will
begin in October 2017 with 30 students trained per year during its first years;
with numbers increasing significantly over time.
The
degree programme will meet all of the requirements of the EU Directive for
General Nursing; the Malta Council for Nurses and Midwives’ Scope of
Professional Practice; and Malta Council for Nurses and Midwives’ Code of
Ethics.
The
first year of the programme will be taught at MCAST main campus, until works to
build a state-of-the art clinical skills teaching facility at the St Luke's
Medical site are completed. The new
facility is being built and run by Vitals Global Healthcare as part of
€200 million investment programme in three hospitals by the Maltese Government.
Northumbria
University was chosen to deliver the degree programme due to its global reputation
as a leading nursing education and training provider. Its UK based Pre-registration
nursing programmes are approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council and were the
first in the UK to be accredited by the Royal College of Nursing.
Dr
Alison Machin, Associate Professor in Nursing, Midwifery and Health at
Northumbria University, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen to be
partners in this important Maltese nursing development. Our selection is testament
to our global reputation for academic excellence in nursing and builds on our
existing high quality international portfolio of teaching and research. As well
as helping to train and educate Malta’s future nurses to the highest possible
standards we are helping the Government improve the quality of healthcare by
providing more nurses into the system.”
Delivering
the programme will involve academics from Northumbria educating and training
nursing students in Malta throughout the year, working alongside the MCAST University
College lecturers.
Dr
Silvio De Bono, President of the Malta College of Arts Science and Technology University,
said: “Helping to address the shortage of nurses is a key priority for the
Maltese Government. There is no doubt that Northumbria University is amongst
the best in the world in developing nurses and nursing standards. Through this
partnership with Northumbria we are confident we will be able to help address
the nursing shortage and deliver a world class degree programme.”
Northumbria
University has an award winning reputation for providing innovative, flexible
and wide ranging professional learning and development opportunities for those
working in health. In 2016 the University, in partnership with Northumbria
Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, developed the UK’s first 18-month route to a
BSc (Hons) Nursing Studies with Nursing and Midwifery Council registration as
an adult nurse, for people able to evidence with substantial experience and
previous significant academic study in nursing and health care.
Northumbria
University offers degree, masters and doctorate level programmes in nursing.
Undergraduate programmes are available in adult, child, mental health and
learning disabilities nursing and in midwifery. The University also offers a
Higher Education diploma in operating department practice.
Professor Dianne Ford, Pro
Vice-Chancellor for Health and Life Sciences at Northumbria University, said:
“We have an unrivalled reputation for academic excellence in nursing here at
Northumbria and we are delighted to have developed this new partnership in
Malta. I have every confidence that together we will deliver the highest
standard of education and learning in nursing for the benefit of Malta and
enhance our global portfolio even further.”
Established in 2001, the
Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) is the country’s leading
vocational education and training institution. Through its six institutes in
Malta and the Gozo Campus, they offer 185 full-time and over 300 part-time vocational
courses ranging from certificates to degrees (MQF Level 1 to Level 6).
The
College is currently building a new campus. Co-financed by the Maltese
Government and the European Union, through a European Regional Development Fund
(ERDF) project once complete it will accommodate over 10,000 full-time students
every year.
For more
information about UK and international nursing programmes at Northumbria
University visit www.northumbria.ac.uk
