| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2025-09-01 | - |
| 2026-09-01 | - |
Program Overview
Overview
This degree prepares you to work with people across the lifespan, from new families, children, and young people to older adults who require support at various times throughout their lives. You will provide nursing care and support to individuals and families, having a profound impact on their lives. You will experience something new every day and have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. You will work in a wide variety of settings, with endless opportunities to have a career where you are always motivated and inspired to go to work for another exciting and rewarding day.
Course Structure
Year One
- Applied Biological Sciences for Health: Anatomy and physiology relating to key systems, including Principles of Homeostasis, Cardiovascular, Respiratory, and Gastrointestinal.
- Professional Practice and Accountability: Spheres of professional accountability & responsibility, including health & social care legislation, legal & professional duty of care, and negligence.
- Developing Evidence-Based Practice: Exploring knowledge acquisition, academic skills, information and digital literacy and fluency, academic integrity, and reflective practice.
- Introduction to Communication and Interpersonal Skills: Equipping students with a variety of communication, interpersonal, and self-awareness skills required to provide culturally appropriate and compassionate nursing care.
- Concepts of Health and Social Policy: Explore perspectives of biological, psychological, social, cultural, spiritual, and behavioural determinants of health and promote person-centred wellbeing across the lifespan.
- Introduction to Learning Disabilities Nursing: Explore key concepts in Learning Disability Nursing and develop a foundation of knowledge and skills.
Year Two
- Pharmacology and Medicine Therapeutics: Focus on understanding and applying the principles of pharmacology and medicine therapeutics in the management of care.
- Living with Long Term Conditions Across the Lifespan: Develop underpinning knowledge relating to the causes, presentation, and management of long-term conditions across the lifespan.
- Learning from the Lived Experience: Analyse contextual knowledge through problem-based learning and reflection using narratives of individuals accessing health and social care.
- Communication and Relationship Management in a Therapeutic Context: Learn to recognise, select, and utilise appropriate communication strategies and therapeutic skills.
- Recognition and Assessment of Physical & Mental Health of Clients with Learning Disabilities: Learn to acknowledge the prevalence of health issues and inequalities that individuals with a learning disability experience. Develop assessment skills to enable clinical care planning.
- Values-Based Contemporary Learning Disability Nursing: Explore a bio-psycho-social approach to overcoming barriers, and discrimination to promote independence and enable people with a learning disability to lead desired lives.
Year Three
- Clinical Decision Making and Complex Care: Consolidate professional competence in clinical decision-making related to the management of complex care.
- Contemporary Issues and Change Management in Professional Practice: Learn to consolidate evidence in order to improve service quality within professional practice.
- Public Health: Focus on public health and social care agendas and their impact on individuals, groups, and communities.
- Leading and Managing Health and Social Care: Prepare for working as a professional within an organisation, leading and managing care within a changing environment.
- Consolidating Awareness of Learning Disability Nursing: Prepare for registration as a learning disability nurse with the ability to make analytical and objective assessments and judgement based on evidence related to your area of practice.
Teaching & Assessment
How You Will Learn
A variety of teaching and learning methods are designed to match learning outcomes and to provide you with some experience of the method best suited to your own learning style. They are designed to:
- Be student-centred, flexible, and modern whilst being challenging and stimulating
- Be fully supported by and integrated with, technological approaches such as the Blackboard virtual learning environment (VLE) and electronic portfolio
- Ensure the linkage of theory with practice
- Consider, value, and incorporate service user and carer perspectives, involving service users and carers directly, as per the Institute strategy
- Develop you to be independent and self-directed, communicating the ethos of lifelong and reflective learning
- Develop your abilities to learn effectively and progress academically including an in-depth evidence-based literature review (dissertation) as well as leadership and change management
How You Will Be Assessed
Modules use formative and summative assessment so that students progress through a module and build knowledge for practice coherently and logically. Formative assessments are designed so that feedback on the individual student’s performance is provided prior to the submission of the final, summative assessment – though this does not contribute to the final module mark or the credit awarded.
Types and methods of assessment will include:
- Group seminars and presentations
- Essays
- Interpersonal skills analysis
- Portfolio of evidence (achievement of clinical competencies and written evidence)
- Examination (context-based scenarios)
- Map of patient/client experience
- Reflective essays
- Community health profile, learning statement, and reflective incident recording
- Resource package
- Poster presentation
- Dissertation
Entry Requirements
- 104-112 UCAS Tariff Points
- GCSE English Language and mathematics at grade 4/C or above
- Functional Skills Level 2 in English and maths and Adult Literacy and Numeracy are also accepted
- A full list of acceptable level 2 qualifications can be found here: Level 2 Acceptable Entry Requirements
Fees & Funding
Tuition Fees
- £9,535 - UK
- £16,900 - International
Funding
You may also be eligible for additional funding through the NHS Learning Support Fund.
If you're eligible, you can get access to:
- A Training Grant of £5,000 per academic year
- Parental Support of £2,000, if you have at least one dependent child under 15 years, or under 17 years if registered with special educational needs
- Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses
- Exceptional Support Fund (Students experiencing financial hardship)
Learning disabilities nursing is currently on the list of courses that will receive additional specialist funding of £1000 per year.
Additional Costs
- There will be some additional costs. For example, all students will need to purchase stationery and may wish to purchase some textbooks.
- Extra costs may also be applicable to cover field trips, membership fees, etc., although such features are usually options within the course.
- Books are reviewed annually and are therefore subject to change, course welcome information will provide you with an indicative list for the year.
Books and Journals
The course team does not specifically recommend any particular core textbooks as you will cover a wide subject base during the programme. The University of Cumbria library catalogue is extensive, and there are textbooks that can be accessed online.
Stationery
Students should budget for stationery and consumables for their own personal use. This should include notebooks, pens, and pencils for taking notes in class and/or in the field. Students should also budget for the purchase of USB pen drives, as well as occasional printing and photocopying costs incurred in the preparation or submission of coursework.
Clothing and Equipment
A good pair of black sensible shoes – you will be doing a lot of standing and walking on placement, so make sure your feet are comfortable – uniforms will be provided if required, but mostly Learning Disability Nursing students will not be required to wear a uniform. You will need to dress casual/smart for office environments when you are undertaking community placement (Cost variable). A fob watch might be required depending on placements (nurses’ watch) please make sure it is one with an easy-to-clean silicone cover. Cost approx. £10
Other
For half of the programme, you will be engaged in practice-based placements. Our placement circuit is across a wide geographical area, and you may be required to travel for up to 90 minutes by public transport or car. Costs will vary depending on whether you use public transport with or without a discount, or your own transport. You will have to fund any costs incurred by travelling to and from placement and any car parking charges. You are also expected to fund travel costs to and from the University of Cumbria. In Year 2 of the programme, you have an opportunity to arrange a 2-week ‘Enrichment Experience’ either within the UK or abroad. Costs will vary depending on the location, but you will be required to fund this experience. Membership of a union is strongly recommended (UNISON & Royal College of Nursing).
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
This program is designed for individuals passionate about empowering people with learning disabilities to achieve their best quality of life and sense of fulfillment. The program aims to redress the power balance in society, enabling individuals to take control over their lives. The program provides clinical experience in a rewarding, challenging, and caring role, equipping students with the skills needed to become specialized registered nurses. Taught across both the Carlisle Fusehill and Lancaster campuses, the program emphasizes the NMC's professional values, prioritizing people, practicing effectively, and promoting professionalism. Students will develop critical thinking skills in health facilitation, complex healthcare issues, and promoting health and well-being for people with learning disabilities. The program focuses on specialized and inclusive support required for Learning Disability Nursing. Graduates can work across the lifespan, specializing in areas such as behavior support, health facilitation, children and young people, intensive support services, commissioning, mental health, forensic/secure settings, end-of-life care, or acute hospital settings. This program is in high demand, with most graduates receiving multiple job offers upon completion.
Outline:
Year One:
- Applied Biological Sciences for Health: This module covers anatomy and physiology related to key systems, including principles of homeostasis, cardiovascular, respiratory, and gastrointestinal systems.
- Professional Practice and Accountability: This module explores professional accountability and responsibility, including health and social care legislation, legal and professional duty of care, and negligence.
- Developing Evidence-Based Practice: This module focuses on knowledge acquisition, academic skills, information and digital literacy and fluency, academic integrity, and reflective practice.
- Introduction to Communication and Interpersonal Skills: This module equips students with various communication, interpersonal, and self-awareness skills necessary to provide culturally appropriate and compassionate nursing care.
- Concepts of Health and Social Policy: This module explores perspectives on biological, psychological, social, cultural, spiritual, and behavioral determinants of health and promotes person-centered well-being across the lifespan.
- Introduction to Learning Disabilities Nursing: This module introduces key concepts in Learning Disability Nursing, building a foundation of knowledge and skills.
Year Two:
- Pharmacology and Medicine Therapeutics: This module focuses on understanding and applying the principles of pharmacology and medicine therapeutics in care management.
- Living with Long Term Conditions Across the Lifespan: This module develops underpinning knowledge related to the causes, presentation, and management of long-term conditions across the lifespan.
- Learning from the Lived Experience: This module analyzes contextual knowledge through problem-based learning and reflection, using narratives of individuals accessing health and social care.
- Communication and Relationship Management in a Therapeutic Context: This module teaches students to recognize, select, and utilize appropriate communication strategies and therapeutic skills.
- Recognition and Assessment of Physical & Mental Health of Clients with Learning Disabilities: This module explores the prevalence of health issues and inequalities faced by individuals with learning disabilities. Students develop assessment skills to enable clinical care planning.
- Values-Based Contemporary Learning Disability Nursing: This module explores a biopsychosocial approach to overcoming barriers and discrimination to promote independence and enable individuals with learning disabilities to lead desired lives.
Year Three:
- Clinical Decision Making and Complex Care: This module consolidates professional competence in clinical decision-making related to the management of complex care.
- Contemporary Issues and Change Management in Professional Practice: This module teaches students to consolidate evidence to improve service quality within professional practice.
- Public Health: This module focuses on public health and social care agendas and their impact on individuals, groups, and communities.
- Leading and Managing Health and Social Care: This module prepares students for working as professionals within an organization, leading and managing care within a changing environment.
- Consolidating Awareness of Learning Disability Nursing: This module prepares students for registration as a learning disability nurse, enabling them to make analytical and objective assessments and judgments based on evidence related to their area of practice.
Assessment:
Assessment methods include:
- Group seminars and presentations
- Essays
- Interpersonal skills analysis
- Portfolio of evidence (achievement of clinical competencies and written evidence)
- Examination (context-based scenarios)
- Map of patient/client experience
- Reflective essays
- Community health profile, learning statement, and reflective incident recording
- Resource package
- Poster presentation
- Dissertation
Teaching:
Teaching methods include:
- Student-centered, flexible, and modern approaches
- Technological approaches like Blackboard VLE and electronic portfolios
- Linkage of theory with practice
- Incorporation of service user and carer perspectives
- Development of independent and self-directed learning
- Development of effective learning and academic progress, including in-depth evidence-based literature review (dissertation) as well as leadership and change management.
Careers:
Graduates can pursue careers as Learning Disability Nurses, working in a variety of settings, including:
- Hospitals
- Community settings
- Residential care homes
- Day services
- Schools
- Support services for adults and children with learning disabilities
Other:
- The program includes six placements over the course, with opportunities for students at the Lancaster campus to undertake placements with Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals, Lancashire and South Cumbria Foundation Trust, and University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay.
- The program offers an enrichment placement that students can arrange themselves, potentially working abroad. This is self-funded.
- Students are allocated 2300 hours of clinical practice, supervised and assessed by clinical staff.
- Students can study a year of Health and Social Care IFY before beginning this program, preparing them for the BSc and ideal for applicants who do not meet the direct entry requirements.
- The program emphasizes the NMC Standards for Proficiency in Clinical Practice, with two allocated placements each year, both of which are summatively assessed.
Tuition Fees and Payment Information:
- UK: £9,250 per year
- International: £16,400 per year
