AYRSHIRE student nurses and midwives will support the NHS on the frontline against coronavirus.

Around 1,200 University West of Scotland students who are in their second and third years of study at UWS Ayr, Dumfries, Lanarkshire, and Paisley campuses, as well as some fourth year Applied Biomedical Science, have volunteered to work in hospitals across the country.

They will put their clinical skills into practice as they aim to help the NHS respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

From Monday the UWS students will be offering support to NHS boards across Scotland including Ayrshire and Arran, as well as some independent care providers.

Some students will support care homes and facilities out with hospital environments.

The announcement comes following an open letter last week from Carolyn McDonald, chief allied health professions officer, which called on students to "agree to become part of your local health and social care workforce”.

UWS is Scotland’s largest provider of nursing and midwifery education in Scotland, with all four of its Scottish campuses equipped with state-of-the art clinical skills, simulation, facilities, replicating hospital, primary care and domestic environments.

Julie Edgar, Dean of the School of Health and Life Sciences at UWS, said: “We are exceptionally proud of our students, who will soon start their placements with the NHS and other providers of care at what is an extremely critical time for the country.

“Hands-on experience is a key component of all of programmes, with a large proportion of our pre-registration nursing and midwifery programmes delivered in practice.

“It is with this in mind that we have absolute confidence our students are well-prepared to lend an important hand in supporting the NHS and others on the frontline at this time.

“Each and every one of our students should feel incredibly proud of themselves and know that UWS is here to support them every step of the way.”

******************************************

Scotland is in lockdown. Shops are closing and newspaper sales are falling fast. We’re not exaggerating when we say that the future of this paper, and the vital local news service we’ve provided for over a century, is under threat.

 

Please consider supporting our work in whatever way you can – by paying just 90p for a copy of the paper, when you’re shopping for essential supplies for yourself and others, or by subscribing to our e-edition available in the menu above.

 

Thanks – and stay safe.