Nursing student crisis poses ‘dire threat’ to future of care in Wales

Despite being the future nursing workforce in Wales, student nurses are experiencing significant financial hardship during their pre-registration education, the Royal College of Nursing Wales has said.

‘Stagnant’ financial support for students during the cost of living crisis has prompted aspiring nurses to question the sustainability of their education and future career in nursing.

The growing uncertainty in the future of nursing higher education comes during a time where reliance on health services is at breaking point.

Uncertainty

RCN Wales is urging Welsh government to increase the NHS bursary to cover students’ costs of living, reduce the means tested burden, and make it available to everyone studying nursing to ensure students get the financial support they need, along with calling for government action so nursing education and research can receive investment and backing from higher education institutions (HEIs).

In April, Cardiff University reversed its proposals to cut its school of nursing. But, RCN said the damage from the proposal has ‘already been done’, with staff taking voluntary redundancy and prospective students choosing their second-choice university in a ‘severe blow’ to the valuable nursing academic community and future workforce in Wales.

Dr Richard Hellyar, Senior Lecturer at Cardiff University, said: “This is the tip of the iceberg, the impact on society is going to be huge if nothing gets done. I want Welsh government to stand up and take notice that, if we don’t intervene now, this is just going to get worse and worse across society, not just education and nursing.”

Hardship

Nico Williams, Nursing Student and RCN Student Ambassador, said: “As an RCN Student Ambassador and Student Rep for my nursing class, I’ve seen firsthand many examples of the financial hardships that student nurses experience, and the knock-on effects that has on their studies and ability to complete the course.

“Students prioritising paying to get to placement and washing their uniforms over purchasing food is a tragedy. The majority of students need to work alongside their degree, including whilst on placement, leaving little time for studies and family life, leading to burn out, poorer academic performance and significant numbers dropping out.

“At a time when we need nurses so desperately, the government must increase funding for nursing students and take action to stabilise nursing education in Wales. What happened at Cardiff University this year must not be allowed to happen again.

“The people stepping up to embrace the challenge of a nursing career must be celebrated and supported to complete their education without fear of debt, homelessness and food poverty.”

At the annual RCN Congress in Liverpool, students from Wales will meet with others across the UK to discuss the state of nursing education, and to raise experiences of severe hardship because of a system that does not attract and keep the nurses of the future.

‘Not adequate’

Rachel Hadland, RCN Wales Acting Associate Director of Nursing (Professional Practice), said: “Currently the financial support available to students studying nursing in Wales is not adequate, the amount of funding available has not kept pace with the cost of living and as a result we are not attracting and retaining students in nursing.

“RCN Wales is calling for an urgent review of the current funding models to ensure that students studying nursing in Wales have the conditions where they can succeed and are not pushed into poverty as a career choice.”

Helen Whyley, Executive Director of RCN Wales: “Students here in Wales tell us how much they want to pursue nursing as a lifelong career, a career they have always dreamed of, but during the current economic climate, that dream comes at an unnecessary cost and for many, is becoming out of reach.

“Students should be learning, practicing, and gaining the complex knowledge and skills needed to be a registered nurse, notburning out from financial stress before they even begin.

 “We have significant vacancies for registered nursing posts across Wales. We need our young bright ambitious people now more than ever choosing nursing as a career, not being deterred by university and living costs and a lack of trust in nursing education provision.”

‘Pressures’

A Welsh government spokesperson said: “Despite pressures on our budget, we extended the NHS bursary for eligible healthcare students for the current academic year and removed the reduced rate of maintenance loan for new and existing eligible, full-time, Welsh-domiciled NHS Wales bursary students. This enables them to access the full amount of maintenance support in addition to any bursary funding they may receive, should they wish to.

“We recognise the impact of increasing costs of living on healthcare professional students and will be launching a public consultation on the future of the NHS Wales Bursary Scheme later this year.”

There are currently two statutory funding streams for students studying Nursing and Midwifery in Wales, the NHS Wales Bursary (a funding package that consists of a loan, grant, and means tested bursary) and the Standard Student package.

The government agreed £294.22m to support health professional education and training for the NHS workforce for the academic year 2025/26. Nurse training places have increased by 8.9% in the last four years, from 2,202 in 2021 to 2,400 in 2024.

They said that students who are struggling are encouraged to seek support through the wellbeing and support services at their university.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of nursing across the country including around 30,500 members in Wales. The RCN promotes the interests of nurses and patients on a wide range of issues and helps shape health care policy.