Student nurses set for skills boost through new adult social care placements

• Government launches strategy to embed adult social care placements in nursing degrees.
• Move aims to encourage more students to pursue career in social care and give them valuable skills in community
• Adult social care nurses will be critical part of neighbourhood health services launched under the government’s Plan for Change
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Student nurses will have more routine access to adult social care training placements in their nursing degrees, as part of a new national strategy launched today (Wednesday 23 July).

The move aims to encourage more students to pursue a career in adult social care and give them valuable skills in care closer to patients’ homes, as the government shifts care from hospital to community under its Plan for Change.

The new strategy will embed adult social care placements into nursing degrees, giving students first-hand experience of working with services that help prevent unnecessary hospital admissions. Social care placements are currently not routinely offered to students.

Placements could be in a range of settings including residential care, supported living or home care, so that student nurses learn more about the prevention of ill health through early intervention.

Speaking at the launch event, Minister of State for Care Stephen Kinnock said:

“Nursing is a skilled, challenging, and deeply rewarding profession that plays a central role in the delivery of modern, compassionate, person-centred care.

“Too few student nurses currently consider a career in adult social care.

“That’s not because the work isn’t valuable, quite the opposite. It’s because the profession hasn’t always been visible.

“And for too long, outdated perceptions and limited exposure during training have made it harder for students to see what’s possible.

“This new strategy aims to change that.”

Developed with Skills for Care and the Council of Deans for Health, the Undergraduate Nursing Strategy aims to create stronger connections between students, universities, colleges, care providers, employers and the social care workforce

This will be driven by clear expectations of Higher Education Institutions, Care Providers and system leaders to offer the placement. Guidance will support universities and providers to co-design the placements that meet course requirements and offer real-world practice.

Students will get experience in supporting people with complex or chronic conditions such as learning disabilities, frailty or mental health needs, helping them manage symptoms and maintain quality of life in familiar settings.

Their community-based placements could include working with digital monitoring tools that help someone to stay safely at home, or work with families and community teams to put early support in place.

Working with people with chronic and acute conditions, students will learn to spot changes early and put in place interventions that help people stay well at home. This could be technology such as sensors, alarms or remote monitoring, which help to prevent falls.

Chief Nurse for Adult Social Care, Deborah Sturdy said:

“I am pleased to see the work of many colleagues from across Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), the social care sector, and many others come together to produce today’s placement strategy for social care.

“A placement in social care provides a rich opportunity for learning. Students will gain real insight into the breadth of care across the system and it opens up opportunities for their future careers.”

Through the Plan for Change, the government will deliver three fundamental shifts in healthcare from sickness to prevention; hospital to community; and analogue to digital.

The new national strategy will help to embed these shifts in education to support the delivery of the 10 Year Health Plan.

Social care nursing will play a vital role in these shifts, and delivering on this strategy will create a more integrated, sustainable, person-focused social care workforce – benefitting patients in improved community care.

Oonagh Smyth, Chief Executive of Skills for Care said:



“We are delighted to have worked with the Chief Nurse for ASC and the Council of Deans of Health to collaboratively develop this strategy to see social care as a nursing placement of choice for all undergraduates.

“I believe the ambition of this strategy will highlight the contemporary nursing opportunities in social care and align with the vision of the 10 year plan for health in England.

“Meeting the recommendations contained within the strategy will see care and education providers working in partnership to address the health and well-being of our population now and in the future.”

So far in 2025 there have been around 30,000 applicants for undergraduate nursing degrees.

The government will set out further details on the structure of clinical placements [in England] in the Professional Strategy for Nursing and Midwifery currently being developed by the Chief Nursing Officer for England (CNO), due to be published later this year.

This will ensure every nurse spends sufficient time across a range of clinical settings to create a meaningful placement experience that reflects modern practice.

Background:

Strategy to enable social care placements for student nurses and nursing associates