About us

At the Oxford School of Nursing and Midwifery, we draw upon a rich history of healthcare education to build new paths into the future. The School combines timeless values of care and compassion with modern skills, expertise and partnerships to empower students and professionals to carry the profession forwards.

Students who have graduated from any pre-registration branch of nursing or midwifery from Oxford Brookes University are eligible to become members of the Radcliffe Guild.

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Our history

Nursing and midwifery education in Oxford and Swindon goes back over 125 years. The first formal training in Oxford began at the Radcliffe Infirmary in the late 19th century. While the GWR Medical Fund (later Great Western Hospital) in Swindon was established in 1847 and became part of Aneurin Bevan’s blueprint for the NHS.

Throughout this history, Oxford and Swindon have stayed at the forefront of new developments in healthcare. You can see it in the way nursing and midwifery developed into the highly skilled, care-based roles we see today, as they moved from apprentice-style training to degree-level education. You can see it in the collaborations that Oxford Brookes (then Oxford Polytechnic) developed over the years with its NHS partner.

Our future

Now, the School represents the next step in the evolution of the partnerships between University and NHS Trusts.

Inspired by the exemplary models of such institutions as John Hopkins University in the US, we are building a way of working together that is unique in the UK.

This will include such work as:

Continuing to develop our curriculum in line with best evidence and research, from both the UK and internationally.
Working together to provide better, more cohesive opportunities in Continued Professional Development.
Fostering an interest in research from an early level, focusing on projects that improve outcomes for patients and embrace the potential of digital health.