“The Future of Nursing must be protected’ – RCN comment on nursing student bursary debate

Ahead of today’s Adjournment debate on Government plans to replace existing nursing student loans with bursaries, RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary Janet Davies said:

“The Government delivered a crushing blow to future nursing students by removing their bursaries.

“If they hadn’t cut staffing levels and slashed student nurse places in the past, they wouldn’t be forced into playing catch up now – and they are using this as an excuse to justify raiding the nursing education budget. This is unjust.
“Student nurses are not like other students. They spend half their time doing clinical work and because their academic year is so long they have little opportunity to earn money in their spare time. They also tend to be older, with families to support.

“Replacing bursaries with hefty loans will pile on more financial pressure to an already overstretched part of our health care workforce. And it’s not even as if money will be saved in the long run as many will be unable to pay the loans back fully. This makes little financial sense.

“There is already clear evidence that the Government’s decision is having a negative impact on those who have been thinking about a career in nursing. Hundreds of current nursing students and those who were thinking about studying to be a nurse have contacted us to share their concerns, frustrations and dismay.

“The RCN wasn’t consulted on the changes, and there is still uncertainty about how the system will actually work, so we will be listening to today’s debate with keen interest.
“What is certain is that that anything that makes people worse off or deters them from becoming nurses, would be a big loss to our society.
“The future of nursing must be protected.”