Middlesex launches new healthcare post-grad programme with Great Ormond Street Hospital

Middlesex and Great Ormond Street Hospital have joined forces to develop a postgraduate programme for healthcare professionals working with children and young people

The University and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) have created an MSc in Advanced Clinical Practice (Paediatrics & Child Health) for healthcare professionals.

It draws on nationally recognised standards for advanced paediatric (child, infant healthcare) practice. 

Developed by GOSH, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and NHS England through the Paediatric and Child Health Advanced Practice Curriculum Framework (PCHCF), these standards set out the knowledge, skills and professional expectations required of advanced practitioners in paediatric and child health services.

The MSc has been designed around these expectations, combining university study with workplace learning and assessment. This new qualification is accredited by NHS England's Centre for Advancing Practice.

Young people from the GOSH Young People's Forum helped shape both the standards and the MSc curriculum, ensuring that the views and experiences of children and young people were reflected throughout their development. Their contribution was specifically recognised during the programme's accreditation by NHS England's Centre for Advancing Practice.

A new digital e-portfolio will also support students by providing an online record of their learning, skills development and professional achievements throughout the programme.

For Middlesex, the project highlights the value of partnerships between universities and healthcare organisations in helping to meet workforce needs and ensuring healthcare professionals receive the training needed to deliver high-quality patient care.

By combining academic expertise with practical clinical experience, the partnership is helping to support the next generation of staff and strengthen paediatric and child health services across the UK.

Cariona Flaherty, Head of Nursing and Midwifery at Middlesex, said:

"At Middlesex University, we are committed to ensuring healthcare education is both academically rigorous and closely connected to clinical practice. Working with GOSH to build on the Paediatric and Child Health Advanced Practice Curriculum Framework developed with NHS England and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has enabled us to create a postgraduate programme that responds directly to the needs of advanced practitioners working with children and young people."

Stephen Whyte, Director of Education at Great Ormond Street Hospital Learning Academy and Visiting Associate Professor at Middlesex, said:

"This partnership is an important opportunity to translate national policy into practice in a way that makes a meaningful difference to the lives of children, young people and families. As an employer, GOSH has been able to help shape a programme that reflects the realities of paediatric practice and equips advanced practitioners with the capabilities they need to deliver high-quality, compassionate care."

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