Nursing Science, Registered Nurse (Learning Disability) BSc (Hons) at Northumbria gives you the skills and experience to apply for registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, combining university study with clinical placements from your first year.
Built around the NMC's Future Nurse standards, this course develops your skills in person-centred, empowerment-focused care, preparing you to support people with learning disabilities and their families.
You'll train in our Clinical Skills Centre using virtual reality and simulated patients, before applying those skills on placement with NHS and partner organisations, where practice learning makes up half your studies. You'll also learn from people with lived experience of learning disability (Experts by Experience), who help shape your teaching throughout the course.
You'll build core knowledge in learning disability nursing, from person-centred values to communication and safeguarding, working alongside experts by experience in your earliest placements. Combining lectures with simulation, you'll be equipped to assess and support people with compassion.
The focus shifts to capability, empowerment and capacity, exploring care across community, health and specialist settings for people with complex needs. You could also apply for an elective placement, building the confidence to manage complex care with growing independence.
Everything comes together as you take on a leadership and management placement and build confidence in judging research quality. With growing autonomy, you'll be ready to apply for registration as a Registered Nurse (Learning Disability).
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You'll build core knowledge in learning disability nursing, from person-centred values to communication and safeguarding, working alongside experts by experience in your earliest placements. Combining lectures with simulation, you'll be equipped to assess and support people with compassion.
The focus shifts to capability, empowerment and capacity, exploring care across community, health and specialist settings for people with complex needs. You could also apply for an elective placement, building the confidence to manage complex care with growing independence.
Everything comes together as you take on a leadership and management placement and build confidence in judging research quality. With growing autonomy, you'll be ready to apply for registration as a Registered Nurse (Learning Disability).
Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.
You will develop your understanding of academic conventions in UK higher education aligned to your level of study, including expectations around critical analysis, structure, argumentation, evidencing, and referencing. The module focuses on developing communication strategies that will help you express your ideas clearly and coherently in written assignments and spoken activities. You will also reflect on your current academic and language skills and develop strategies for development ahead of your assessments.
This module begins your journey into becoming a learning disability nurse. You will learn about the fundamental values, skills and knowledge required and gain insight into the context of care for people with a learning disability and the indifferent perceptions of society.
You will explore the aetiology of learning disabilities including environmental and genetic causes. You will also be introduced to the needs of people with a learning disability and consider how the specialist learning disability nurse applies holistic care to meet those needs. Key themes, including equality and societal values will be an integral part of this module.
Subjects will include; the diverse roles of a learning disability nurse, genetics, person centeredness and how to develop your emotional intelligence. As well as communication, implementing value based safe and effective care and professionalism.
You will explore the experiences of people with a learning disability and their families/carers. This will be done through clinical practice by engaging with experts by experience and practitioners specialising in learning disability. This module enables you to discover and develop your value base, which will enable you to challenge discrimination.
You will also discover how to search and apply the relevant evidence base in learning disability nursing.
Nurses in all fields require an in-depth knowledge of anatomy, physiology and physical and mental health problems across the age spectrum. These are considered an essential basis for safe and effective practice. This module will enable you to apply biosciences to understand the determinants of health- social, psychological, behavioural, environmental and genetic factors and how they impact on health at a physical and psychological level. You will develop an understanding of the functioning of the body at different levels (cell, tissue, organ, system) and how this knowledge will assist you in delivering safe, holistic, compassionate nursing care.
This module builds on the knowledge gained in Semester 1 (Module LE4002, Introduction to evidence based practice in health and ill health). Nurses in all fields need to consider the importance of holistic assessment, including risk assessment.
In this module, you are offered opportunities to learn about supporting people with a learning disability and how to apply this knowledge to offer high quality and safe care to service users and their families. You will study the following;
• You will learn specifically about physical systems of the body and how this may effect someone with a learning disability within your practice.
• You will consider the psychological aspects of traumatic life events.
• You will consider the effects of certain syndromes on people with a learning disability and their families.
• Critical appraisal of contemporary evidence.
Topics you will cover include:
• Anatomy and physiology
• Good Physical and Mental Health
• Deterioration in physical and mental health
• An understanding of how drugs and medicines interact within living systems
• Holistic Assessment, planning, delivering and evaluating care.
• Introduction to consent and legal frameworks within learning disability services
• Introduction to Functional Analysis of Care Environments (FACE) risk assessment and narrative risk assessment
• Diabetes
• The role of the hospital liaison nurse
You will explore the experiences of people with a learning disability and their families or carers through meeting ‘Experts by Experience’ and practitioners specialising in learning disability. This module offers an opportunity to discover and develop your professional value set and your nursing skills regarding supporting people with a learning disability to stay healthy and safe.
This practice module will provide you with a unique opportunity to develop skills and knowledge directly relevant to your current practice placement experiences. The practice module will both support your learning while you are in practice and provide an environment, within university, to consolidate the skills and knowledge necessary to progress effectively. By using a concept curriculum approach, the nursing practice module will support you to learn how to become an accountable professional, lead and manage nursing care, and work in teams.
During the first year, you will learn the fundamental skills that are necessary for safe, effective and professional practice.
During the majority of your first year clinical placements you will return to university for two days a week to reflect on your experiences. You will learn together with your peers and examine theoretical concepts such as professionalism, interprofessional learning, medicines management and safeguarding that will enhance your practice. Seminars and workshops will focus on a range of subjects that will enhance your professional nursing practice. Innovative teaching and learning strategies will be used to enhance your learning, This will include the use of digital educational resources to support your learning in relation to concepts such as medicines management.
You will learn how to develop your Ongoing Record of Achievement (ORA) and how to reflect on your personal and professional development. You will learn about the importance of patient centred and recovery focussed approaches and will be asked to reflect on feedback given by Experts By Experience (EBE). These skills are the start of your development as an evidence-based practitioner.
The content of Nursing Skills 1 will be informed by the proficiency standards outlined in Annex A and B in ‘Future Nurse: standards of proficiency for registered nurse’ (NMC 2018).
The module will introduce the concept of safe nursing practice and the proficiencies nurses need when undertaking the physical assessment of people of all ages. You will learn how to observe and assess people of all ages in terms of symptoms and signs of physical ill health. You will learn how to take, record and interpret a patient’s vital sign and use communication tools to support verbal and written reports. These skills and proficiencies will be supported by opportunities to participate in simulated education utilising a range of specialist technology and taught by experts. These nursing skills are directly relevant to your practice learning and include nursing procedures that are necessary for safe and effective patient care. Before your first placement you will complete a number of mandatory requirements, which will enable you to practice with confidence and ensure patient safety. The learning opportunities in this module are designed to support you to develop knowledge, which will inform the attainment of communication and relationship management skills and nursing procedures as identified as Part 1 in your Ongoing Record of Achievement (ORA).
Nursing Skills 2 will build on the concept of communication and safe and effective practice which you have been introduced to in the previous skills module. You will further develop your communication and clinical skills relevant to your practice placement experiences. You will continue to learn a range of skills, such as recognition of the deteriorating patient, that are necessary for safe, effective and professional practice. You will have the opportunity to participate in simulated education utilising a range of specialist technology, including human patient simulators, and taught by a specialist module team of lecturers in nursing, midwifery and health.
You will consider and develop your nursing skills, acting with integrity, applying the principles of The Code (NMC, 2018). You will demonstrate your ability to practise in a holistic, individualised, person centred, non-judgemental, caring and sensitive manner, acknowledging the diverse needs of a contemporary society. You will continue to develop your understanding of team working and its importance in nursing practice. You will learn about the importance of person-centred care and effective communication skills. These learning opportunities will continue to help you gather evidence of your abilities and confidence and will inform your attainment of communication and safe and effective practice as identified as Part 1 in your Ongoing Record of Achievement (ORA).
You will develop your understanding of academic conventions in UK higher education aligned to your level of study, including expectations around critical analysis, structure, argumentation, evidencing, and referencing. The module focuses on developing communication strategies that will help you express your ideas clearly and coherently in written assignments and spoken activities. You will also reflect on your current academic and language skills and develop strategies for development ahead of your assessments.
This module continues your journey in becoming a learning disability nurse and will build on the concepts from year one. You will develop greater confidence and autonomy in the context of caring for people with a learning disability, whilst enhancing your skills and knowledge. This module will support you to further examine ethics, values and societal perceptions.
The philosophy of person centred care will form the basis of this module, allowing you to explore a range of contexts for safe care delivery. You will be given the opportunity to explore the experiences and challenges of people with a learning disability and their families; at key points in their lives.
You will explore the concepts of assessment, planning and evaluation of care in relation to the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and consider the safeguards involved in the protection of vulnerable people. You will also be supported to develop your knowledge on contemporary public health issues and the implications effecting the learning disability population. This module also offers an opportunity for you to examine your personal beliefs and values, whilst developing skills to empower others.
Topics you will cover include:
Prenatal diagnosis and diagnostic assessment, including non-invasive testing.
Child development.
Sexuality, sexual health and personal relationships.
Gender identity.
Deprivation of Liberty (DOL’s) and best interest principles.
Introduction to leadership, courage and professional challenges.
Skills for assessment including capacity and capability will be a core theme.
On this module you will be offered opportunities to learn about supporting people with a learning disability in a variety of non-specialist and specialist practice provision. This will take place in health establishments such as; in GP surgeries, in health and social care provision and in schools. This learning spans the whole life time of people with a learning disability as services and patient needs change. You will learn about:
• Community Nursing
• Behavioural specialisms
• Health Facilitation
• Clinics in other health settings
• Health action plans
• Psychological therapies and patient ownership
• Person centeredness and working with families
Topics you will cover include:
• Practicing in challenging environments
• Practicing in primary health care settings
• Practicing in GP surgeries
• Learning Disability and health policy
• Championing the rights and health of people with a learning disability
• Teaching other health professionals
• Developing accessible information
• Clinical risk taking
• Understanding and utilising Positive Behavioural Support across communities of practice (PBS)
You will explore the experiences of people with a learning disability and their families or carers through meeting with service users and practitioners specialising in learning disability and through the eyes of non- specialist professionals. This module offers an opportunity to discover and develop your creativity, value base and skills of helping people with a learning disability to stay healthy and safe. This module will also allow you to consolidate your specialist communication skills building from the skills developed at level’s 4 and 5 (NS0423: Becoming a safe, caring professional in Learning Disability Nursing, NS0424: Introduction to nursing assessment skills, NS0425: Development of communication skills and nursing interventions, LE4001: Introduction to evidence based practice in health and ill health –Learning Disability Nursing, LE4002: Applied life and social sciences - planning and evaluating care, LE5001: Capability, empowerment and capacity in Learning Disability Nursing and NS0525: Developing evidence based skills for best practice)
You will be undertaking other modules focussing on specialist learning disability practice, alongside this module (NS0524: Developing shared decision making in Learning Disability Nursing and NS0526: Enhancing clinical skills for complex care)
This practice module will provide you with an opportunity to build upon and extend your portfolio of skills and knowledge relevant to your clinical practice. This module will both support your learning while you are in practice and provide an environment, within university, to consolidate the skills and knowledge necessary to progress effectively. By using a concept curriculum approach, the nursing practice module will support you to learn how to become an accountable professional, lead and manage nursing care, and work in teams.
During your module you will explore clinical decision making in practice through collaboration and partnership working. In your clinical placements you will return to university for two days a week to share your experiences with your peers and module tutors to help develop effective decision making. You will be provided with opportunities to critically reflect on your own role and professional responsibilities in making shared decisions for your continued development as a safe and effective student nurse. By using a developing concept curriculum approach, you will be able to practise safely and have an awareness of your own limitations, demonstrating increasing autonomy and independence when performing a range of practical skills. You will apply your developing knowledge of pharmacology, social and life sciences to nursing practice. Innovative teaching and learning strategies will be used to enhance your learning. This will include the use of digital educational resources to support your learning in relation to concepts such as medicines management. The module will also incorporate simulated practice learning hours to support you to develop appropriate nursing skills.
You will continue to develop your Ongoing Record of Achievement (ORA) and reflect on your personal and professional development as an evidence-based practitioner. You will reflect on the importance of patient and family centred approaches in addition to the effectiveness of patients and client feedback. Some of your learning will be online via online learning resources stored on BlackBoard Ultra as we help you to facilitate, and organise your independent learning.
This module will build on the concepts from year one and introduce more complex skills linked to the proficiency standards outlined in Annex A and B ‘Future Nurse: Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurse’ (NMC, 2018). This will support your practice learning and help you further develop the knowledge and skills you have gained from your year one clinical placements. The module will help you develop greater confidence and autonomy, allowing you to contribute effectively to a multi-disciplinary team of healthcare providers. This skills module will support your learning while you are in practice and provide an environment, within university, to consolidate the skills and knowledge necessary to progress effectively. While in university you will also be updating, consolidating and learning new communication and relationship management skills, nursing procedures and elements of patient safety to ensure safe and effective practice.
The content of Nursing Skills 4 will be informed by the proficiency standards outlined in Annex A and B in ‘Future Nurse: Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurse’ (NMC, 2018).
This module will build upon your knowledge of medicine administration whilst being exposed to the challenges of complex care needs. You will learn about nursing interventions associated with people of all ages with complex care needs exploring the principles, approaches and concepts of safe nursing practice and the delivery of holistic care. You will build your knowledge of safe ethical medicines management with an emphasis on the clinical application of these skills and understanding. There will be a particular focus on the challenges of medicines optimisation in people with complex care needs, which requires understanding of pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. Alongside this you will learn to develop professional accountability to ensure safe administration of medicines including competency in drug calculation. You will continue to develop your understanding of team working and its importance in nursing practice.
You will develop your understanding of academic conventions in UK higher education aligned to your level of study, including expectations around critical analysis, structure, argumentation, evidencing, and referencing. The module focuses on developing communication strategies that will help you express your ideas clearly and coherently in written assignments and spoken activities. You will also reflect on your current academic and language skills and develop strategies for development ahead of your assessments.
The module builds on the skills and knowledge that you have developed during the programme and supports your transition towards becoming a confident accountable practitioner. Scholarship within learning disability nursing will be embraced; this will enable you to critically analyse and challenge the status quo, demonstrating courage and professional curiosity. The module content encourages independent thinking skills and creativity. Research and practice development philosophy is explored, this will support your summative assessment which is a 6000 word Practice Project Proposal.
You will critically reflect upon a presenting operational, practice, or leadership challenge. In order to do this, you will explore contentious elements of people with learning disability receiving service support, healthcare, including consent & capacity, advocacy, global health priorities and health economics. Patient safety and cost effectiveness are competing forces in learning disability healthcare and community services, you will examine this paradox alongside the maintenance of high-quality care with finite resources. Human factors within organisations and/or systems are paramount to its success, you will appraise the evidence, particularly in relation to working within teams. Archived serious case reviews, critical incidents and governance will be critically analysed. This will promote understanding of organisational culture and professionalism, increasing your determination and resilience to become a competent accountable practitioner. Research and practice development provide rich evidence to support innovation and action. The module will develop your ability to analyse and select appropriate methods of research/practice development to fulfil the summative assessment requirements and prepare you for the future.
In this third year module which is based in practice, your learning will be predominantly online via BlackBoard Ultra. This will be supported with some additional face to face seminars to explain expectations as we help you to facilitate greater independent learning as you transition to become a registered nurse. This module will provide you with the opportunity to advance your skills and knowledge directly relevant to your third year practice placement experiences and prepare you for working life as a registered nurse. It will specifically focus on leadership, quality and team work.
By using a concept curriculum approach, the nursing practice module will support you to become an accountable professional, working in teams to lead and manage quality nursing care. Within the context of your practice placements you will critically reflect and debate contemporary theories and explore service improvement models, which support sustainable service improvement. Applying your knowledge of team and Interprofessional working you will learn how to coordinate safe and effective high quality care. This will include a collaborative approach embedding the views of service users, lay carers and colleagues in the delivery and enhancement of care. You will be provided opportunities to critically reflect on your own personal and professional responsibility for your continued development as a manager and future leader of service improvement. You will learn how to manage uncertainty and put into practice the strategies that develop resilience in yourself and others.
Through dynamic learning opportunities in practice you will gather evidence to aid completion of your North East Electronic Practice Assessment Document (NEEPAD). Through critical reflection and self-assessment you will complete your Ongoing Record of Achievement (ORA) demonstrating your capability and readiness for independent practice. This demonstrates to a future employer that you are fit to practise as a registered nurse caring for people of all ages and across all care settings.
Nursing Skills 5 will build on the concepts from years 1 and 2 and further enhance your skills. The module focuses on aspects of leadership to build your competence in the delivery of safe and effective person-centred care. You will update and explore in greater depth skills you acquired in previous years, including mandatory skills and a range of more advanced techniques and procedures whilst preparing you for your role as a newly qualified nurse. In addition, you will build on your knowledge and experience of safe nursing practice, promotion of health and medicines management in relation to caring for people with acute, complex and advanced conditions. You will develop advanced communication and nursing procedure skills as appropriate to your field of nursing.
This module will consolidate the concepts and nursing interventions from the previous skills modules and be delivered following Nursing Skills 5. Building on your existing knowledge and skills you will enhance your development and become an agile skilled practitioner in your relevant field of nursing. You will be learning to apply high level communication and medicines management skills, previous knowledge and experience as well as your advanced knowledge of nursing procedures to prepare you for autonomous practice. History taking skills will be developed and used as a framework for enhanced assessment and care of people of all ages. A range of dynamic learning opportunities both in the simulated and real-life practice setting will help to generate evidence, which will aid you in the completion of your Ongoing Record of Achievement, demonstrating that you are capable of a high standard of competent, safe and independent nursing practice.
Standard Offer 112 UCAS Tariff Points
From a combination of acceptable Level 3 qualifications which may include: A-level, T Level, BTEC Diplomas/Extended Diplomas, Scottish and Irish Highers, Access to HE Diplomas, or the International Baccalaureate.
Find out how many points your qualifications are worth by using the UCAS Tariff calculator: www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator
Contextual Admissions 96 UCAS Tariff points
Northumbria University is committed to supporting all individuals to achieve their ambitions and we understand that every applicant’s circumstances can be different, which is why we take a flexible approach and assess your individual circumstances and potential when reviewing your application.
To find out more, review our Northumbria Entry Requirement Essential Information page for further details www.northumbria.ac.uk/entryrequirementsinfo
GCSE Requirements:
Applicants will need Maths and English Language at minimum grade 4/C, or recognised equivalents.
Additional Requirements:
Applicants will be required to attend an interview. Admission is subject to a suitable DBS Enhanced Certificate and a satisfactory health check. Applicants must meet the Nursing and Midwifery Council's suitability for registration requirements.
International Qualifications:
We welcome applicants with a range of qualifications which may not match those shown above.
If you have qualifications from outside the UK, find out what you need by visiting www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry
English Language Requirements:
International applicants should have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 7.0, with a minimum writing score of 6.5 and all other components at a minimum score of 7.0, or Occupational English Test (OET) with at least a grade B (350 to 440) in reading, listening and speaking, and at least a grade C+ (300 to 340) in writing.
For further admissions guidance and requirements, please visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/admissionsguidance Please review this information before submitting your application.
The UK tuition fee for 27/28 is £10,050 and is set in line with the UK Government's tuition fee cap. The University may increase this fee in subsequent years in line with any changes to the tuition fee cap. Students will be notified of any increase ahead of it taking effect.
The remaining fees for 27/28 are to be confirmed and relate to the International Soccer Academy and accommodation fees. Accommodation fees may increase in subsequent years. Students will be notified of any increase ahead of the re-issuing of tenancy agreements.
The University may increase tuition fees in the second and subsequent years of your course at our discretion in line with any inflationary or other uplift, as decided by the UK Government, up to the maximum amount for fees permitted by UK law or regulation for that academic year. To give students an indication of the likely scale of any future increase, the UK government has suggested that increases may be linked to RPIX (Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments). If the University intends to exercise this right to increase tuition fees, notification will be communicated with all students affected by the end of June in the academic year before the one in which we intend to exercise that right. Student fee loans have risen in line with the level of uplift decided by the UK Government.
Extended Degrees: Students will pay the applicable Foundation Year fee in the first year of study. Tuition fees will follow the Level 4 cap in the first year of Undergraduate study, with tuition fees in subsequent years increasing as per the above information.
* Fees subject to annual increases over the course of the period of study. Students will be liable for payment of any/all tuition fees which are not sponsored by their employer or other third party.
This is the tuition fee for your first year of study. You should expect to pay tuition fees for every year of study. The University may increase fees in the second and subsequent years of your course at our discretion in line with any inflationary or other uplift. Students will be notified of any increase ahead of it taking effect.
Tuition fees in the academic year 2027/28* will be £10,050. Fees are set in line with the UK Government's tuition fee cap. The University may increase fees in subsequent years in line with any changes to the tuition fee cap. Increases will be linked to inflation. For example, increases may be linked to RPIX (Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments) Students will be notified of any increase ahead of it taking effect. Student fee loans rise in line with the tuition fees cap.
This is the programme fee for your first year of study. The programme fee includes the international tuition fee, International Soccer Academy and accommodation fees. Accommodation fees may increase in subsequent years. Students will be notified of any increase ahead of the re-issuing of tenancy agreements.
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Learn from academics whose work is ranked 8th in the UK for research power in Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy, out of 91 submissions (REF, 2021).
Learn directly from Experts by Experience, who bring their own insight and perspectives into your teaching, assessments, and course design from your very first year.
In your second year, you could apply for an elective placement in the UK or abroad, broadening your clinical experience of supporting people with learning disabilities.
Over 93% of Learning Disabilities Nursing students surveyed in the 2026 National Student Survey positively rated the learning resources on their course.
99% of General Nursing graduates from Northumbria are in graduate-level jobs or further study 15 months after graduating (Guardian University Guide, 2027).
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Learn from academics whose work is ranked 8th in the UK for research power in Allied Health Professions, Dentistry, Nursing and Pharmacy, out of 91 submissions (REF, 2021).
Learn directly from Experts by Experience, who bring their own insight and perspectives into your teaching, assessments, and course design from your very first year.
In your second year, you could apply for an elective placement in the UK or abroad, broadening your clinical experience of supporting people with learning disabilities.
Over 93% of Learning Disabilities Nursing students surveyed in the 2026 National Student Survey positively rated the learning resources on their course.
99% of General Nursing graduates from Northumbria are in graduate-level jobs or further study 15 months after graduating (Guardian University Guide, 2027).
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Page last reviewed: 1 November 2026
