Senior leaders from Keele University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery have paid a heartfelt tribute to the Keele-trained nurses and midwives working in the NHS as they prepare for another hard winter amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Over 5,000 Keele-trained nurses and midwives work clinically in the NHS, with many of them staying locally in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire after they graduate, or working in hospitals in the wider West Midlands region.

As they prepare for another winter under pressure - made even busier by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the booster vaccine roll-out - Head of the School of Nursing Professor Julie Green has paid tribute to the resilience, dedication, and professionalism of Keele’s qualified nurses and trainees.

Professor Green said: “We are so very proud of our nursing and midwifery alumni who are working within the extreme challenges that are currently facing the NHS and the private, voluntary and independent sector. This level of pressure has now been sustained for well over 18 months, with little respite, however our Keele-trained nurses and midwives continue to practice with resilience, professionalism and dedication.

“Service delivery is difficult within all sectors of healthcare, whether they are nurses and midwives working within our hospitals, delivering care closer to home within the community and general practice, or nurses working in our care homes, community hospitals and prisons. We are grateful for their contribution to healthcare delivery and are proud that they raise the profile of our nursing and midwifery provision here at Keele University on a daily basis. We are proud of our alumni!”

Nursing students at Keele specialise in a variety of fields including mental health, children’s, and adult nursing, and are taught by expert clinicians with vast amounts of experience in different areas of nursing. The School also has extensive links with local NHS partners, and was ranked in in the Top 10 in England in the Complete University Guide 2022, with a perfect score of 100% for graduate prospects.

Professor Pauline Walsh, Pro Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences added: “I am delighted to add my thanks to all the Keele trained nurses and midwives as well as the colleagues who have supported them in completing their studies. The pandemic has really highlighted the valuable role they undertake and the importance of high quality education and training.”