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Amid continuing concern over the need to reduce junior doctors' hours, Buckinghamshire College has launched a course to allow nurses to do some of the work currently done by doctors.

Buckinghamshire, a college of Brunel University, has set up its 15-week part-time nurse practitioner course following consultation with local trusts, in direct response to the Calman report which recommended cutting junior doctors' hours. Annie Cooper, head of division in post-registration nursing, said "Junior doctors are still undertaking duties which could be effectively devolved to appropriately prepared staff. Hence the need to develop the nurse practitioner role." Nurses will be able carry out health checks and also preliminary examinations to determine how urgently the patient should be seen by a doctor.