Background

The project was implemented in 2020 through a Town Deal Accelerated Funding grant to provide local training provision for Nursing Associate Apprentices (NAAs) in partnership with Anglia Ruskin University and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Phase 1 building works completed in 2021 and a successful validation from the Nursing and Midwifery Council in 2022 resulted in training cohorts twice yearly since that time.

Phase one development

Procurement equipped the school with state-of-the-art facilities including advanced Simulation suites and training resources in an environment which replicates authentic hospital surroundings. Further NHS England grants in 2023 extended the range of technologies to Digital Dissection tables, VR training software and advanced robotic mannequins for trauma and midwifery training – details can be found via the following link: CWA showcases new virtual dissection tables and Laerdal mannequins at the SoNS.

The Apollo Project

The School of Nursing Studies has supported a range of learners since that time. In 2023 it was awarded a grant to deliver the Apollo Project (10) The Apollo Project: Posts | LinkedIn to work with schools, college students and under-represented communities to provide training and opportunities for those wishing to progress into health careers. This has supported over 500 individuals, engaged with over 50 healthcare organisations, provided more than 200 college students with ‘work and learn’ activities to support their health career aspirations, and helped over 70 people gain access to employment through its CareStart and CareStart Plus courses.

Health and Social Care Courses

The School has become an integral resource for a range of Health and Social Care courses such as T-Level Nursing, Level 2 Health and Care, as well as becoming a key feature of the Access to Science (Nursing and Medicine) courses by enhancing access to University Degree courses and employment through professional preparation and enrichment – around 90% of the latter successfully applied for a medical or related degree last year. The school also supports Foundation learners, those on health-related programmes such as Early Years to Hair and Beauty.

Community collaboration

The school provides essential collaboration with local services and employers to provide first level training facilities. This includes Tapping House Hospice and local emergency services – the latter utilised the School of Nursing Studies as part of the recent combined Emergency Simulation training event to replicate realistic trauma scenarios – details can be found at: College of West Anglia hosts real-life emergency simulation at King’s Lynn campus.

Cadet Programmes

The school successfully applied to deliver the first Royal College of Nursing Cadets in West Norfolk last year – this provided opportunities for 20 young people to develop their skills. Cadets were invited to RCN headquarters in London to meet the King This can be viewed on the Royal Family YouTube Channel at the following link: https://youtu.be/CzpJYng3ZQE. The success of this has led to plans to expand cadet programmes in 2026 – the School of Nursing Studies is currently working with St Johns Ambulance to deliver the first NHS Cadet programme.

University Collaboration – Centre of Excellence for Health Apprenticeships

The success of the first phase of the School of Nursing Studies Project led to a collaborative development with University of Suffolk which contributed significant funding (with investment by the College of West Anglia) to expand the school to a second floor which was completed in June 2025. This is to deliver it’s Centre of Excellence for Health Apprenticeships (CEHA) project which aims to provide a range of training opportunities aimed at boosting careers into Health across East Anglia: Pioneering apprenticeships partnership launched to boost health and social care careers in East Anglia – NHS Suffolk and North East Essex ICB

This partnership aims to deliver courses aimed at supporting not only Nursing but a range of other roles across the health sectors such as Level 3 Senior Health Care Support Worker and Dental Nursing Apprenticeships to address the workforce challenges in the area over the next ten years.

Additional Funding

The School of Nursing has also secured an additional grant from Norfolk County Council to develop the premises and will include AI resources to represent adolescent, bariatric and chronic illness care needs in a progressive and authentic environment. This additional development will support future plans for Health Skills Boot Camps, Adult ‘tailored learning’ courses (Care Skills Essentials – Part-Time) and accredited First Aid Training for the area.