PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Nurses: Training (27 June 2019)

The Government has no plans to reinstate bursaries for pre-registration nursing degree students.

The education funding reforms unlocked the cap which constrained the number of pre-registration nurse training places allowing more students to gain access to nurse degree training courses. Eligible pre-registration nursing students now receive at least 25% more support than under the National Health Service bursary system through tuition fee loans and living cost support from the Student Loans Company.

Additionally, to support pre-registration nursing students whilst attending the clinical placement element of their courses, the Government introduced a Learning Support Fund. Eligible loan funded students can apply for annual payments of £1,000 for child dependants allowance, reimbursement of all clinical placement travel costs above their usual daily travel and exceptional hardship payments of up to £3,000. These are in addition to the allowances paid by the Student Loans Company.

On 7 February 2019 the University and College Admissions Service (UCAS) published data on full-time undergraduate applicants to nursing and midwifery courses made by the 15 January deadline. The data showed that there has been a 4.5% increase in the number of applications to nursing and midwifery courses when compared to the same point in 2018.

UCAS will publish further application data on 11 July 2019.

The interim People Plan published on 3 June 2019 sets out some of the steps needed to ensure the NHS have the staff they need to deliver high quality care, including growing our nursing workforce by 40,000 in the next five years.