HSCP course closed

Wednesday 07 June 2023

A course offering on-island training up to degree level for Health and Social Care personnel is being closed after the number of entrants applying to do it dropped.

The Guernsey Institute was running the BA (Hons) in HSCP but it won't be reopening for new students this September as so few have applied to study on it in recent years.

The news was confirmed in response to formal questions posed by Deputy Heidi Soulsby.

Pictured: Deputy Heidi Soulsby.

Deputy Soulsby was told the BA (Hons) in HSCP was being closed to new entrants after she asked questions about the separate nursing degree course.

That is currently limited to just 17 candidates which the former HSC President was surprised about.

The island's nursing degree course is run by the Institute for Health and Social Care, which comes under The Guernsey Institute. Other comparable courses run by The GI include a teacher training degree course and a Masters programme.

12 students graduated from the nursing degree course in 2022, with between seven and 10 students graduating each year since 2018 meaning the course costs £90,305.00 per student over the lifespan of the three year course, including their bursary.

The number of students on the BA (Hons) HSCP course has not risen above four in the past five years, leading to it being closed. 

Pictured: The number of students on each course varies with the HSCP degree programme having the least for the past five years. 

With her prior knowledge of the way the courses are run and how staff are trained on-island, Deputy Soulsby believes it makes sense for the BA in HSCP to close but she queries why the nursing degree course isn't prioritised for funding and staff over the Masters. 

"I understand why the BA in Health and Social Care Practice is being run down. At the same time I am unsure about the necessity of the Masters degree. At the moment I believe that it is required for staff to get to Nurse Consultant and management roles within B and 8. It would be good to know why this is considered necessary in order to progress in the organisation and whether this is standard practice elsewhere."