Recommendation 24

In December 2019, the government announced the introduction of a new maintenance grant for nursing students from September 2020, which consists of a non-repayable grant of £5,000 to £8,000 to help with living costs. Students will still pay their own tuition fees and the higher education market will therefore still determine the number of places.62 The Department said it was not aiming to recreate the position prior to 2017 and had sought to learn lessons in particular by its targeting of the new training grant to specific groups of people and specialisms where there are particular concerns. For example, an additional £1,000 will be made available to nurses specialising in learning disabilities and mental health, and there will be an extra £1,000 of childcare support to those who are eligible.63 Opportunities and challenges created by COVID-19