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Oxford Brookes University's Swindon campus is celebrating 25 years of training nurses and healthcare professionals. Since its launch, the campus has played a vital role in addressing the region's healthcare needs. It was originally established to meet a growing demand for skilled healthcare workers and has become a cornerstone of the community, producing hundreds of graduates who now contribute to the local NHS and beyond.
Read more: Old Town café set to reopen after being closed for months One of the first cohort of nurses to train on the campus was Anna Rudkin, now a nurse manager at the emergency gynae unit at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. Ms Rudkin said: "I had some wonderful teachers and amazing mentors while I was studying at the Swindon campus. "They helped me learn and grow into the confident nurse I am today.
"Their support helped me with my first steps into nursing and I have fond memories of my student days. "I also made some great friends who I am still in touch with and meet up with every year. "It's great to hear that 25 years later Oxford Brookes University is still training nurses in Swindon and I wish them a long and successful career.
" As the Swindon campus celebrates its past, it is also looking ahead to the future. Campus leaders are planning further expansions and upgrades to ensure they remain at the forefront of healthcare training. These include expanding healthcare apprenticeships and the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) offered at Oxford Brookes.
Professor Lorraine Dixon, director, and Dr Laura Strumidlo, head of the Oxford School of Nursing and Midwifery, said: "We are immensely proud of the strong foundations that our talented academic teams have co-created in collaboration with our experienced health and care partners and incredible students over the past 25 years. "Our nursing programmes deliver high-quality education preparing our graduates to be the future nurse leaders, educators and researchers to drive innovation and practice which meets the demands of a modern health and care system and delivers high-quality care to the people it serves." Read more: Police chief on why pub incident led to officer's dismissal Luisa Goddard, chief nurse at Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "We are committed to supporting those who are looking at a career in nursing, and offer multiple placements right across our organisation to students from the local area, including those studying at Oxford Brookes University.
" To mark the anniversary, a celebration event will take place on June 11 with external partners, students and staff along with Professor Dixon and senior leaders from the Oxford School of Nursing and Midwifery. The celebration will round off the final year student dissertation conference where many students will present their dissertation findings..
