Academics at Birmingham City University were recently awarded £173,000 from the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Newton Fund, funding projects across the globe to support communities hit by the coronavirus. The project will see nurse academics and researchers work alongside nurses, local healthcare workers and officials to increase provision for trauma and emergency care within both Zambia’s hospitals and communities, to help the country cope with the strain on services caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Working alongside Zambia’s Ministry of Health, Lusaka College of Nursing and Midwifery, Ndola College of Nursing and other local partners, the project will provide the education and training to leave a legacy of growth in trauma and emergency nursing skills and expertise across the country to help enhance service provision. A series of Covid-19 workshops throughout the country will help the nursing workforce gain the knowledge needed to extend their clinical practice, and meet the changing health care needs as funding and resources are urgently diverted to help deal with the pressure of the pandemic. The project will help nurses deal with Covid-19 related health issues such, while continuing to respond to other communicable and non-communicable diseases through their augmented and strengthened competence, while maintaining nursing capacity within the healthcare service.
