Exemplar Health Care supports new social care nursing placement strategy from Skills for Care

By Lianne Ford, Head of Nursing at Exemplar Health Care

We fully support the new ‘Strategy to enable social care placements for student nurses and nursing associates’ from Skills for Care, which shines a light on the vital role social care plays in building our nursing workforce.

The strategy, developed in collaboration with the Council of Deans of Health (CoDH), aims to ensure that every nursing student has access to meaningful placements in adult social care, giving them the skills and confidence to work across a range of health and care settings.

At Exemplar Health Care, we’re passionate about shaping the next generation of nurses through placements that are immersive, supportive, and rooted in person-centred care.

By giving students a rich and varied learning experience, we’re not only helping them to develop their clinical skills but also inspiring them to see social care as a rewarding and impactful career.

Proudly, we’re already delivering on the ambitions of the strategy.

In FY25 alone, we:

• supported 274 student nurse placements (up from 165 in FY24) across 38 homes, working with 17 universities

• increased capacity to support student nurse placements, with 78% of nurses trained as Practice Assessors or Supervisors

• attended a number of nursing careers fairs at universities to raise awareness of social care learning opportunities

• were part of the national early implementor pilot for the National Preceptorship Quality Mark

• introduced a new Practice Education Facilitator role to strengthen university partnerships and build a robust pipeline of future nurse leaders.

Our tailored welcome booklet supports students from day one, designed to showcase the value and career potential of social care nursing, and ‘bust some of the myths’, ensuring they immediately see the opportunities available.

We also work closely with higher education institutions to embed the voices of people we support into nursing education. For example, our Service User Council worked with Sheffield Hallam University to co-produce elements of its Learning Disabilities Nursing and Social Work curriculum, ensuring students learn directly from people with lived experience.

Feedback from student nurses highlights the supportive and high-quality learning environment across our homes.

One student described how colleagues “truly embody professional values” by putting residents at the centre of dignified care.

Another reflected that the “amazing” team had “believed in me and given me the confidence I never thought I had.”

Others praised the sense of community, with one student saying their placement “has to be the best one I’ve been on so far,” thanks to the time and effort that made it feel like “one big family.”

Jenna Stocks, who started her career at Exemplar Health Care as a student nurse and was named ‘Preceptee of the Year’ at the 2024 Nursing Times Workforce Awards, reflected on her experience:

We look forward to continuing to expand placement opportunities across our care homes, working with universities and Skills for Care to support the successful implementation of the new strategy.