Barrow college chief hits out at scrapping of nursing bursaries

Bursaries available to trainee nurses and other medical professionals that cover the costs of tuition are to be scrapped from August next year.

The Royal College of Nursing and the British Medical Association have condemned the plans, fearing that lack of funding may deter people from working for the NHS - and educational institutions in Cumbria have also voiced their concerns about the plans.

Professor Robin Talbot, executive dean of the University of Cumbria said: "The university is very concerned about the changes to the fees in 2017.

"I think every university is going to be looking at this very closely.

“There could be a downturn in our funding if this trend continues.”

Until the proposed changes start, if an applicant qualifies for a bursary, the cost of their tuition will be covered.

There are also grants and allowances open to help cover the cost of living when studying.

Under the changes students will have to take out loans to cover the cost of tuition like other students.

There is a risk that if the number of trainee nurses fall, there will be a knock-on effect to the rest of the NHS in terms of staffing.

Professor Talbot questioned what impact a potential decline in student numbers would have on the NHS and said: "For NHS trusts in the north west some of the workforce pressures will be even greater.

"There is major concern about the future."

Andrew Wren, the principal and chief executive of Furness College in Barrow, also spoke out about the future uncertainty.

He said: “We are disappointed in the plans to remove the bursaries for student nurses as this provided essential support and encouragement for young people and adults to start a career in an area in which there is a national skills shortage.

“The bursary scheme was extremely popular and attracted large numbers of applicants to nursing and other courses, which may now see a decline in interest without this financial support.

“At Furness College, we will continue to offer advice and guidance to individuals considering a career in nursing and ensure that they understand the options available to them, including higher apprenticeships and internships, together with part-time courses which attract student loan support”

The Royal College of Nursing has spoken out strongly against the proposed changes.

Regional director for the RCN Northern Region, Glenn Turp, said: "The message from nurses is loud and clear - proposals to scrap nursing bursaries would reduce the supply of nursing staff and damage patient care.

“They represent a huge gamble with the future of the nursing workforce and the government has not properly evaluated the many risks involved."

“The government must listen to these concerns and work with the RCN and others to identify a fair, effective and sustainable funding system for nursing education.”

The government has said that by scrapping the finite number of bursaries, it will encourage more people to take up nursing.

Ten thousand extra training places have been promised, with increased financial aid available.

However at a time where the NHS is already strained, the timing of this new policy has been questioned.

Professor Talbot said: “Depending on which source you look at, there are 10-20,000 missing staff in the NHS.

“We will continue to look at ways of providing education through higher level apprenticeships, and ‘earn and learn’ schemes.

”But is this the right time to make such changes?”

Read more about the staffing problems at Furness General Hospital http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/barrow/Army-of-international-nurses-recruited-for-hospital-wards-a7af753c-56c2-42ce-abf9-a6285c19037b-ds