The Open University

Scheme to train more nurses wins prestigious prize

18 December 2025

A unique partnership between the NHS and The Open University to give people the opportunity to study for a nursing degree while training on the job has scooped a top national award. Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust and The Open University joined forces in July 2024 to give local people who had always […]

Mini course about mental health is fastest growing on OU free learning site

12 December 2025

Bite-sized learning about mental health in the 21st century is capturing interest at The Open University by becoming one of its most popular free courses in the past year. The OU’s free learning site OpenLearn held an audit of its wealth of short online courses over the past 12 months and found an incredible 13.3 million visits recorded. Topping the list of the most popular free courses launched in […]

The Open University’s “Take Five to Age Well” Wins National Self Care Award 2025

11 November 2025

The Open University is celebrating national recognition after its Take Five to Age Well initiative was named winner of the 2025 Self Care Award by the Self-Care Forum. The award, announced ahead of National Self Care Week (17–23 November), recognises the project’s innovative approach to helping older adults build lasting healthy habits and fostering community […]

New report investigates how young people make decisions about contraception

1 October 2025

A new report into how young people make decisions about contraception has found that the most effective way to ensure that young people receive accurate information about contraception is for organisations to share messaging in a variety of ways, including using the channels and platforms that young people are familiar with. According to research from […]

The Open University responds to the NHS 10-year Health Plan

17 July 2025

The Government has now published its 10-Year Health Plan for England, focusing on the NHS being ‘Fit for the Future’. Here, the OU nursing team give their topline thoughts on the three main themes. Hospital to Community The emphasis on prioritising most care out of or near to home is expected, appreciated and long overdue. […]

Open University graduate wins prestigious national nursing award

22 May 2025

Open University graduate, Fay Dudson has won the Student Innovation in Practice Award at the annual Student Nursing Times Awards. The ceremony, which took place in a glitzy ceremony on 2nd May in London, honoured the outstanding achievements of the upcoming generation of nurses and their mentors, recognising those who consistently go above and beyond […]

New series of Saving Lives in Cardiff

9 April 2025

A new six-part series of the OU/BBC co-production, Saving Lives in Cardiff, airs today, 9 April, at 9pm on both BBC One Wales and BBC Two. The new series follows the daily decisions made by clinicians at the Cardiff and Vale University Hospitals, as they seek to transform the lives of their patients in South […]

5 easy habits for a longer, healthier, happier life: the OU announces national challenge empowering the UK to Age Well

7 April 2025

The Open University (OU) is launching a UK-wide month-long national challenge, similar to Dry January but for ageing well, Take Five to Age Well. As our Ambassador Professor Rose Anne Kenny demonstrates in her book Age Proof, research has shown that until we reach 80 years, 70-80% of ageing rate is largely determined by environmental […]

From hempseed gruel to CBD: the curious history of cannabis as a health product

21 March 2025

The cannabis-derived product CBD has been hailed “the wonder drug of our age”, offering potential health benefits without the high, says Dr Lauren Alex O’Hagan, Research Fellow from the School of Languages and Applied Linguistics at The Open University. Writing in The Conversation she says: From juices and coffee to truffles and ice cream, CBD […]

OU academic awarded Accelerator grant from the Wellcome trust

11 February 2025

OU academic Dr Jenny Douglas has been selected for a prestigious Accelerator Award from the Wellcome Trust. The grant of £ 153,273 will fund research into improving Black women’s health and wellbeing in the UK. The Wellcome Trust Accelerator Awards support researchers of Black, Bangladeshi and Pakistani heritage in the UK to undertake activities that […]

OU News

Category: Health