UK (University of Chichester) University’s School of Nursing officially opened by Chichester MP Gillian Keegan

Sussex healthcare professionals and students joined MP Gillian Keegan at the formal opening of the School of Nursing and Allied Health at the University of Chichester.

The centre, which intends to develop hundreds of healthcare workers by 2025, is run in collaboration with University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust and other health and social care providers in the region.

The multimillion-pound facility, located next to St Richard’s Hospital, teaches the University’s BSc (Hons) Adult Nursing degrees and its Physiotherapy courses.

Addressing nearly 100 nurses and practitioners, alongside University tutors and students, Ms Keegan said: “The University has done a fantastic job, and this School will provide lots of opportunities for new healthcare professionals to further support our region’s outstanding hospitals.”

The £2.6million development, which was provided by government grants, is more than 3,200 metres-squared in size. In a first for healthcare tuition, students learn with virtual reality headsets to recreate live clinical and community settings to prepare them for working on wards or care homes.

University Vice-Chancellor Professor Jane Longmore added: “Our developments in health won’t stop here – we have ambitions plans for future partnerships with NHS Sussex. We have something to tackle – the need for more healthcare professionals and nurses – and this is an ambition shared across our region.”

Find out more about the University’s nursing degrees at www.chi.ac.uk/nursing.