The University of Essex has confirmed the campus will shut at the end of the academic year with current courses and students moved to Colchester. However, there will be 400 redundancies among staff at the site. The Southend campus is home to health and social care courses, including hundreds of students on nursing and nurse associate courses of study. They provide a vital pipeline of nursing staff to local health services.
Sharon Crowle, RCN Eastern Senior Regional Officer for Essex, said: “Our thoughts are with all our members at the Southend campus affected by this announcement, whether they are students or dedicated teaching staff training future generations of nurses.
“Both students and staff will be concerned about their futures, and it is vital that they are fully involved in the process from now on. The closure of the Southend campus, and the threat of redundancy and relocation that it poses, will place both significant financial and time pressures on members, with job losses and lengthy and expensive commutes a future reality.
“While students will be able to continue their studies in Colchester, we know many will be unable to relocate and study further from home due to the significantly lengthier travel times and the additional costs they will incur. This could lead to some choosing to abandon their studies. We also do not know what this decision will mean for the number of students being admitted to nursing courses in the future. Following cuts to nursing courses elsewhere, this could have a devastating impact on the recruitment of nursing staff to provide health care services in future years.
“For teaching staff, we need to make sure they are given every opportunity to continue to use their expertise to educate these future nurses. Where redundancy is the only option, we must ensure they are given a fair deal.
“The RCN will do everything we can to work with students and staff as this academic year continues and we hope the university will work with us to support everyone affected by this devastating decision.”
