Research training to be offered to nurses and midwives

The government has announced a new initiative through which nurses, midwives and allied health professionals will be offered more research training.

Speaking at the annual Florence Nightingale Conference, health secretary Andrew Lansley revealed plans of a scheme that will provide healthcare professionals with funding to enrol in further education courses in the research field.

Managed by the National Institute of Health Research, the scheme will include masters degrees, PhDs and internships, allowing staff to become better trained and able to use research to improve patient care.

Successful applicants can develop projects to that pertain to their day-to-day responsibilities, allowing them to raise standards across the board once qualified.

Mr Lansley said: "This is about investing in our nurses, midwives and allied health professionals so they are able to offer the best care possible and make the NHS even better."

This comes after the minister outlined plans earlier this month to provide more than 100 million pounds in new funding to be invested in NHS clinical research facilities.