Steve Double, Member of Parliament for St Austell and Newquay has welcomed the return of the NHS Nurses Bursary which was announced earlier this week by Secretary of State for Health Matt Hancock MP.
Nursing students will benefit from guaranteed, additional support of at least £5,000 a year to help with living costs.
The funding will be given to all new and continuing degree-level nursing, midwifery and many allied health students from September 2020. It is expected to benefit more than 35,000 students every year.
The announcement of the funding comes ahead of the UCAS university application deadline of 15 January.
The funding comes as part of the government’s pledge to increase nurse numbers by 50,000 over the next 5 years.
Students will receive at least £5,000 a year, with up to £3,000 further funding available for eligible students, including for:
- specialist disciplines that struggle to recruit, including mental health
- an additional childcare allowance, on top of the £1,000 already on offer
- areas of the country which have seen a decrease in people accepted on some nursing, midwifery and allied health courses over the past year
This means that some students could be eligible for up to £8,000 per year, with everyone getting at least £5,000. The funding will be available from next year. Further details on who can access the support will be available in early 2020.
The funding will not have to be repaid by recipients. Students will also be able to continue to access funding for tuition and maintenance loans from the Student Loans Company.
Commenting Steve said:
“I have been contacted by many constituents who wanted to see the return of the Nurses Bursary, something which I agree is crucial in supporting the absolutely vital work done by our dedicated nurses in the future.”
“To this end for much of this year I have been in protracted correspondence with colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care, both before and since my appointment as Parliamentary Private Secretary at the DHSC.”
“I am delighted that the Ministerial team have listened and reinstated the bursary for current and future students.”