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The RCN says ministers need to urgently make nursing a more attractive career to meet workforce growth targets, including by introducing a loan forgiveness model for those who commit to working in public services and improving financial support for those in education.

This must come alongside fundamental reform to raise pay to attract more nursing staff into the profession.

Our comments come as new data from shows that acceptances onto nursing courses increased just 0.6% between 2023 and 2024, with numbers significantly down on 2021.

When comparing the 2023 and 2024 nursing cohorts, the 0.6% growth from year to year is equivalent to less than 1 additional new nurse for every single 1 of the 215 NHS trusts in England.

Executive Director of RCN England Patricia Marquis said: “Today’s figures should ring alarm bells in government. As demand for services rises, and targets say we need hundreds of thousands of new nurses, ministers are struggling to recruit even an additional 100. Nurse education is not just totally broken, but a direct threat to NHS reforms.

“Huge debt and inadequate financial support are pushing people away from nursing, while worsening pay prospects make a bad situation worse.  

“This week’s announcement on pay from government will have done little to make nursing a more attractive career to those considering it. Ministers need to understand their decisions on pay have consequences that reach far beyond the wage packets of staff.” 

There are more than 31,000 nurse vacancies in the NHS in England, while the pay for a typical nurse has fallen by 23% since 2020/21.

The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan for England aims to grow the nursing workforce from around 350,000 nurses to around 550,000 in 2036/37, but the RCN warns that the plan is falling behind.