Nurses, midwives and allied health professionals are some of our nation’s most valuable assets, working in our nation’s most valued institution.
They care for us and our loved ones when they’re in greatest need. And their patience, skill and kindness is part of what makes our National Health Service so special.
UNISON has a proud tradition of standing up for our nursing family members and our student nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. And as a union we have always been quick to point out the importance of nursing as a profession.
That’s something the British people understand, even if the government don’t.
Of course, at times they might underestimate how hard it is to do the job – with the long hours, all manner of patients to deal with and illnesses to treat – but most people understand that nursing is a difficult profession that requires a lot of training.
So it’s no surprise there’s already a nursing shortage in this country – yet this government are hell bent on making things worse by axing bursaries for student nurses.
The government should be busting a gut to recruit more student nurses. And yet George Osborne’s desperate attempt to make the government’s numbers add up mean that the future of the nursing profession, nurses livelihoods and the National Health Service have all been placed on the butcher’s slab.
In total the government will save just under £52 million by cutting the NHS bursary out of a total NHS budget of one hundred and sixteen point five billion. Not even a million pounds a week to support our vital student nurses is safe from the axe man.
And whilst this only hits England so far, it could have a knock on effect for NHS funding in Scotland and Wales too.
Of course there are many contenders for the most foolish, petty and self-defeating cut to come from this government – but this one must surely be near the top of the list.
A cut that risks making nursing a profession only whose who can afford to train can be part of.
It’s only a few years since the Chancellor complained that the roof hadn’t been fixed while the sun was shining. But now he’s punching holes in it when it’s raining – and it’s patients, the NHS and student nurses who are getting soaking wet as a result.
