Responding to analysis from the Office for Students (OfS) which has found increased pressure on higher education sector finances, RCN Deputy Director of Nursing, Dr Nichola Ashby, said:
“Universities train the next generation of nurses, but more and more are in crisis. The number of people applying to study nursing is already collapsing, and now this precarious financial position could see vital nursing courses close. This ultimately means fewer nurses – and more patients struggling to get the care they deserve.
“The government’s NHS Long Term Workforce Plan is simply not deliverable without more people completing nursing courses – but it’s crystal clear the plan is failing on all fronts.
“We’re losing highly skilled nurse educators right now with offers of voluntary redundancy a real issue. Without nurse educators, we won’t have nurses – it’s as simple as that.
“The government cannot continue burying its head in the sand. We urgently need to see support for higher education to stabilise finances and protect vital nursing courses. We also need to see better pay, terms and conditions for nurse educators.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
Figures from UCAS released in February 2024 show that there were just 24,680 nursing applicants to education providers in England this year, compared to 27,370 applicants in 2023 and 33,410 in 2022. This represents a 10% fall in the last year and a 26% fall in the last 2 years.
