Recommendation 21

From 2017, the Department changed the funding arrangements for nursing, midwifery and allied health professional students. Prior to 2017, HEE paid tuition fees to universities and NHS bursaries to students to cover their living costs. Instead, these students moved onto the existing student finance arrangements, with most eligible for full loans for tuition fees and maintenance costs. The Department hoped to increase the number of places on these courses by 10,000 by 2020.54 However, it acknowledged that the policy had failed to meet all its objectives.55 In 2017, the first year of the new arrangements, the number of applicants for nursing and midwifery courses fell by 11,000 (21%). Universities accepted a higher proportion of applicants than previously, so there was a 3% fall in the number of 46 Qq 60, 62, 63. 47 NWF0006 - Royal College of Nursing submission, para 4.3, 4.5 & 4.8. 48 Qq 43, 44, 69 49 Q 48; C&AG’s Report, paras 2.24, 2.25 50 Qq 45, 47 51 Q 27 52 Qq 48, 69, 70 53 Qq 40, 52 54 C&AG’s Report, para 2.5 - 2.6 55 Q 71 14 NHS nursing workforce new students.56