A SURVEY has been set up to find out how many people in rural Somerset might be interested in careers in nursing and what issues need to be considered to make the training accessible to all.

Health and care services are aiming to make it easier for people to train as nurses in the county by working with education providers who hope to offer a locally available nursing degree programme to Somerset residents in the near future.

The survey is intended to help achieve this. To download it, go to www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/ and click the ‘Somerset nursing survey’ link. The survey closes on September 16.

Helen Stapleton, Somerset STP workforce programme lead, said: “We know that it can be difficult for some people in more rural areas of the county to travel to areas where nursing degrees are offered, so we hope that we will soon be able to offer nursing training to those who would otherwise not be able to study nursing and get qualified.

“To help us get our plans right and make sure our training courses are accessible to everyone, we want to hear from anyone who has ever thought about a career in nursing.

“This is a great opportunity for you to help develop nursing education in the county, and will be a fantastic way for you to take the first step onto a very rewarding career path.”