The University of East London has launched a nursing course to help tackle NHS shortages in the area.

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The training will be specifically tailored to the area to help prepare the nurses for work in east London by ensuring 50 per cent of the training takes place outside the classroom in a working environment.

To assist students with their learning the university has sought the help of Stan, a £50,000 “high-tech patient simulator mannequin” robot that can replicate patient behaviour.

“He talks, he blinks, his tongue swells, he coughs and wheezes and he performs normal bodily functions,” said a university spokesman.

Madhini Sivasubramanian, senior lecturer in adult nursing, said: “The mannequin works with specialised software that can mimic real human physiology in real time.

“We can recreate the whole clinical scenario. So, when students administer medication and do procedures, they can expect to see the physiological changes in real time.”

Stan was on display for guests assembled for the course’s launch yesterday afternoon.

NHS bosses, university dignitaries and industry professionals gathered at the university for the event.

Sir Keith Pearson, chair of Health Education England, said: “The University of East London will soon be able to proudly showcase the nurses that it will be helping bring into the NHS, playing its part in this crucial work in providing an NHS fit for the future.

“As we continue to expand the nursing workforce, it is vital we have more higher education institutions offering nursing degrees, so it is wonderful to welcome UEL to our nurse training family.

“With its help, we will continue to build the high-quality nursing workforce of the future.”

There are 60 places on the course starting in January - and the university has already received over 600 applications for those places.

A further cohort of 60 students will also be welcomed into the faculty in September.

Nigel Davies, head of pre-registration nursing at UEL, said: “The enthusiasm and commitment to nursing in east London that we’ve seen when we interviewed the new students has been amazing.”

“Sixty per cent of applicants are over 30 years old, bringing a wealth of life experiences with them. Overall, the students are from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, just like the patients they will be caring for.”