Fears campus closure will deter nursing students

A nursing leader has said he is concerned by the planned closure of a university campus in Telford and how it might affect future recruitment in Shropshire.

On 29 January, Telford and Wrekin Council said the University of Wolverhampton was set to close its campus in the town.

The base is the only one in the county to offer degree and diploma level nursing courses, as well as engineering and science.

The University of Wolverhampton has so far refused to reveal when the campus will shut as well as further details of its plans.

"At this stage we're not completely clear about the facts from the University of Wolverhampton, but I'd still stress that there are nursing students doing degree courses and they will still be undertaking their placements in the county of Shropshire," said Adrian Clarkson, the Shropshire representative for the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).

According to the council, teaching currently taking place at the Telford campus will be moved to Wolverhampton.

Mr Clarkson said he believed the closure would deter some students.

"There's less opportunity for people that are considering doing nursing, to do a nursing course within Shropshire, because it means that they will have to potentially travel to other campuses, such as the Wolverhampton campus.

"There's a high proportion of mature students in nursing - many of them have family commitments, and so they really do value being able to train closer to home."

The nearest university nursing courses are in Walsall, Worcester or Chester.

Mr Clarkson said the RCN's first step would be to find out what the university's plans were.

"Local communities want to receive healthcare from people locally who are trained locally, and that's really important from a health promotion perspective," he told the BBC.

"All in all, it's not positive that there isn't a university campus in Shropshire that is training nurses."

Ruth Ross, the chief executive of Shropshire Chamber of Commerce, said she was "aware that the university had been facing financial pressures", which included a decision to scrap its bus service between the campus and its main base in Wolverhampton.

Telford and Wrekin Council's Labour leader, Lee Carter, said the university had been "retreating" for a number of years, but reassured locals that the council would try and attract nursing back to the county.

"I know both MPs in Telford and Wrekin and Shropshire are working hard as well to try and get those opportunities back," he said.

The closure will leave Harper Adams as the only university in the county, following the departure of the University of Chester from its Shrewsbury site.

In light of the latest news Harper Adams Vice Chancellor Prof Ken Sloan reaffirmed his commitment to the county.

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