It was a great privilege to open the new School of Nursing and Allied Health at Chichester University last week. The school was the brainchild of Marianne Griffiths, Chancellor at the University and until recently the CEO of our local hospital Trust, and Jane Longmore, the University’s Vice Chancellor. The new school sits on the Bishop Otter Campus right next to St Richard’s and will train the next generation of nurses, physios and other healthcare professionals for our area.
It was brilliant to see some of the incredible facilities they have put in place including a ward of life like mannequins that replicate patient symptoms, enabling trainee nurses to practice diagnosing a variety of symptoms. Their instructors can simulate everything from changes in breathing, pulse, and even eye movements. The University are offering several routes including apprenticeships, full time and part time courses. I very much look forward to returning in the near future to celebrate the first cohort of home-grown nurses. This is the first time in 30 years they’ve offered such training, which is particularly special as Florence Nightingale supported the opening of a school at the site in 1872.
This week I attended the annual Conservative Party Conference, which is always a busy event with back-to-back meetings. Whilst there I spent some time meeting with charities that have exhibition stands many of which are also supported by constituents. All of them are running key campaigns, which I very much enjoyed hearing more about. A personal highlight was being able to catch up with organisations like Marie Curie and the Alzheimer’s Society, who I have been working closely with over the past year as the Minister for Care and Mental Health. Another stop I always enjoy is with Guide Dogs, as there is always the chance to meet one of their incredibly talented dogs.
With my new brief as the Minister for Africa, I also spoke to key stakeholders about some of their work across the continent. I held meetings with Government backed organisations leading on the removal of landmines and introducing weapons controls that will save countless lives. I also spoke at a reception on Malaria about our role in eradicating what is a preventable disease that kills hundreds of thousands of people every year. In Africa, 80% of those who die are under 5 years old. The UK is leading the fight against malaria developing new vaccines and innovative technologies that will end this cruel disease.
