Latest UCAS figures have revealed the deep damage that Tory government cuts are having on the nursing sector in England – with applications to English nursing courses down 23% this year, after the UK government abolished bursaries that encouraged people to take up training.
The Scottish Government has taken a different approach towards nurse training, retaining the nursing bursary, maintaining free tuition and continuing to offer the discretionary hardship fund. The number of Scottish applicants remained relatively steady.
The decision to abolish the nursing bursary in England compounds the damage that the Tories are inflicting on the NHS in England, with the fall in student nurse numbers coming alongside the impact of Brexit and the Tory refusal to confirm that EU citizens will have the right to remain in the UK after Brexit – which has led to record numbers of EU citizens leaving the NHS last year.
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