Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether nursing students who follow an apprenticeship route require a degree awarded by an approved higher education institution in order to apply for Registered Nurse status with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

The Nurse Degree Apprenticeship (NDA) allows individuals to train to become a graduate registered nurse through the apprentice route. The NDA is a Level 6 qualification and students via the apprenticeship route are required to meet the same Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) standards as other nursing students.

Only NMC-approved higher education institutions are able to deliver the NDA. NMC approval involves an assessment of the range and quality assurance of practice placements available to students on a nursing degree programme. All nurses must complete a high quality education and training programme to provide the best standard of care for our patients.