Innovative Mental Health Qualification Launched by Preston College

Preston College is pleased to announce the launch of the NEW Foundation Degree in Health and Social Care (Mental Health), set to launch this autumn. The innovative course aims to tackle the growing mental health crisis in Preston and surrounding areas, a situation worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic, by incorporating advanced technology to simulate patient scenarios for our learners.

This full-time two-year program will use virtual reality (VR) training and simulation equipment to enhance learning and prepare learners for a career in the mental health profession. This course comes at a crucial time, as the sector struggles to meet the demand for mental health services and professionals within the sector. Recent figures from the Office for National Statistics highlighted the urgency, revealing 23 suicide-related deaths in Preston in 2022.

Vice Principal Mick Noblett emphasised the collaborative efforts with the NHS and local mental health service providers to tailor the course to the sector’s needs. “There’s a two-year waiting list for young people to access mental health services in the area. We are an area in crisis, and that needs to be addressed. We’ve worked hard to make sure that what we’ve developed is what the sector wants and needs so that we can help solve the skills shortages in health and social care,” he stated.

Looking to attract a cohort of 10-12 students, the programme will commence in September 2024. The course, equivalent to the first two years of a degree, will blend digital learning with hands-on experience in simulated real-life health settings. Classrooms will replicate environments such as hospital wards, complete with ‘dummy’ patients, and an ‘ambulance’ where students can practice emergency procedures.

Significant investment from the Lancashire and Cumbria Institute of Technology (IoT) partnership has provided the VR equipment. This technology includes age simulation suits and ‘beer goggles’ to help students understand the challenges faced by elderly patients and those under the influence of substances.

Dawn Parkington, Curriculum Lead for Adult Health at Preston College, reinforces the value of this immersive learning approach. “Our IoT equipment offers learners a real insight into the struggles their future patients will go through because a lot of students perhaps don’t realise people can be at these points in their life. Through using virtual reality equipment, we can offer an insight into clinical areas they don’t have access to in college from day one. Not only that, but digital technology in patient settings is changing, and we need to keep up with that so that our learners are prepared for what’s out there,” she explained.

The foundation degree will open avenues for learners to pursue careers from various roles within mental health settings to counselling or therapy, research, community outreach, and advocacy. This course aligns with the broader mission of the Lancashire and Cumbria IoT, a partnership of seven colleges and three universities focused on providing technical training to support workforce development and economic growth across our region.

For more details about the Foundation Degree Health & Social Care (Mental Health) click here

To find out more about the Lancashire and Cumbria Institute of Technology click here

For more details on the recent coverage of Preston College’s new qualification, visit Lancashire Business View here.