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The Government has launched a new strategy to embed adult social care placements in nursing degrees, aiming to encourage more student nurses to work with patients who have complex or chronic conditions, such as learning disabilities, frailty, or mental health needs.
Social care placements are currently not routinely offered to students. As the government shifts care from hospitals to the community under its Plan for Change, it is hoped that students will gain firsthand experience working with services that help prevent unnecessary hospital admissions.
The new national strategy will include a range of nursing placements, such as residential care, supported living, or home care, to enable student nurses to learn more about preventing ill health through early intervention.
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 And for too long, outdated perceptions and limited exposure during training have made it harder for students to see what’s possible.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.”
Social care nurses will help patients with learning disabilities
Developed in collaboration with Skills for Care and the Council of Deans for Health, the Undergraduate Nursing Strategy seeks to foster stronger connections among students, universities, colleges, care providers, employers, and the social care workforce.
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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 in co-designing placements that meet course requirements and offer real-world practice.
Students will gain experience in helping patients manage symptoms and maintain their quality of life in familiar settings.
Their community-based placements could include working with digital monitoring tools that help individuals stay safely at home, or collaborating with families and community teams to establish early support.
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.”
So far in 2025 there have been around 30,000 applicants for undergraduate nursing degrees.
