Cherilyn Mackrory, Member of Parliament for Truro and Falmouth, has said that plans announced by Health Secretary Matt Hancock to reintroduce the £5,000 per anum Nurses Bursary will be a big boost to future nursing provision at Royal Cornwall Hospital Treliske.
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, Cherilyn said:
"With Royal Cornwall Hospital Treliske such a major part of our constituency, I am delighted to see the Secretary of State for Health make this announcement."
"It is so important to support our future nurses in the absolutely vital work they do and this bursary will be a great support and incentive for people looking to get into nursing."
Commenting, the Health Secretary Matt Hancock said:
"The NHS is there for all of us in our time of need, thanks to the skill, dedication and compassion of its staff. I know from my Grandma, who worked nights as a nurse, just how compassionate and hard-working our nurses are."
"As we enter the Year of the Nurse and Midwife, we are embarking on the biggest nursing recruitment drive in decades, backed by a new universal support package."
"We want every person considering this incredible career to apply for their university place before the UCAS deadline of 15 January, safe in the knowledge they will benefit from this financial support from the start of the next academic year."
"This £2 billion plus package builds on the government’s ongoing work to increase the number of places for students and is central to its commitment to deliver 50,000 more nurses on our wards."