The University of Sheffield has lost a £45m nurse training contract to its neighbour Sheffield Hallam after a row with the local health authority.
The university, which has provided preregistration training for the past 10 years, had bid to continue the contract to educate more than 2,100 nurses and midwives over three years from 2006.
But when the South Yorkshire Strategic Health Authority (SYSHA) decided to split the training between the city's two universities, Sheffield University reacted by announcing it would phase out preregistration training altogether after this year's intake.
Yesterday, the health authority awarded the entire contract to Sheffield Hallam. About 200 academic staff at the old university, who had been "shocked and stunned" by the unexpected loss of the contract, will now transfer to Sheffield Hallam.
A delighted Sheffield Hallam, which opened a £16m new faculty of health and wellbeing in May, said nurses would be trained alongside social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, diagnostic radiographers, radiotherapists, paramedics, biomedical scientists and sport and exercise scientists.
Rhiannon Billingsley, executive dean of the faculty of health and wellbeing, said: "What we've brought to the table are innovative and relevant ways of working. We are training nurses and midwives alongside other healthcare professionals, taking interprofessional learning to a totally new level."
Alan Wittrick, chief executive of the health authority, said it would be working with both universities to ensure a smooth transition. The authority oversees the health of 1.3 million people in an area including the city, Doncaster, Rotherham and Barnsley and is increasing the number of nurses in training by 5%. Existing students will complete their courses and receive University of Sheffield degrees.
Sheffield University will retain its graduate school of nursing, but has been left to lick its wounds over the loss of the lucrative preregistration contract.
In a statement today, the university said it planned to extend postgraduate nursing and midwifery courses. "Our record is one to be proud of. We have been independently assessed to have the equal highest research rating and lowest drop-out rate in the country backed up by Quality Assurance Agency approval for quality teaching delivered by informed staff and underpinned by scholarship and research," said the statement.
It added: "The university will continue to maintain and enhance its research work that has been officially rated as internationally excellent with the equal highest ranking of all UK universities in the area of nursing and midwifery policy and practice."
