Transforming nurse training in Gibraltar
We are playing a key role in a programme to modernise nursing and midwifery training in Gibraltar.
In 2007 we were commissioned by the Gibraltar Health Authority (GHA) to provide educational support for student nurses and qualified staff based in the British overseas territory.
The GHA’s Director of Nursing and Patient Services, Dr Karen Norman, said the Authority had been impressed by our original ideas and flexible approach to meeting specific local needs.
‘What made the Faculty really stand out from the other candidates on our shortlist was their dynamic approach to delivering as much training in Gibraltar as possible, meaning nurses wouldn’t have to spend long periods away from home’, Dr Norman said.
‘Tapping into the teaching excellence of two leading London institutions will enhance the care of our patients by broadening the skills of both trainee nurses and more experienced staff’.
The GHA provides healthcare services to more than 27,000 Gibraltarians and runs the territory’s state-of-the-art St Bernard’s Hospital, which opened its doors in February 2004. Our staff are currently visiting Gibraltar for short periods during the academic year and working alongside lecturers delivering the pre-registration programme.
Our representatives are heavily involved in deciding on course structure and are monitoring the quality of training on offer for prospective nurses. The territory’s 370 qualified nurses can also take advantage of Kingston University and St George’s, University of London’s post-registration and midwifery training programmes, taught in both Gibraltar and London.
Dean Professor Fiona Ross said our success in securing the prestigious Gibraltar Health Authority contract demonstrated the high regard in which our expertise in skills development was held.
‘The Faculty’s strong record in interprofessional training will stand us in good stead as we assist Gibraltar’s healthcare providers in achieving their goal of modernising nursing practice,’ she added.
