Government must act as NHS student applications slump, says UNISON

Responding to the announcement that university applications for nursing and midwifery courses have fallen dramatically, UNISON head of health Christina McAnea said: “The government said replacing bursaries with loans would bring in an additional 10,000 nurses. Instead the exact opposite has happened. “With applications down nearly a quarter, ministers must accept they got this wrong […]

Health care assistants being used as ‘nurses on the cheap’ says UNISON

Healthcare assistants (HCAs) working in the NHS are doing the jobs of nurses without the equivalent pay or education, says a report from UNISON published today (Friday). Two in five (39%) say they have not received the training necessary to provide the care expected of them such as looking after dementia patients, according to the […]

Not a normal day for NHS workers

On a normal Wednesday morning Emily Heron would be taking patients’ blood pressure or doing observations…

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Help save the NHS bursary for student nurses, midwives and other health professionals in England

Government confirms future financial pain for healthcare students, says UNISON

The government’s health bursaries consultation launched today (Thursday) will saddle nursing students with huge debts of at least £50,000, says UNISON. UNISON head of health Christina McAnea said: “This consultation is meaningless. It’s clear that the government has already made up its mind to replace bursaries with loans and fees. “Replacing the bursary system with loans […]

What’s it like to be a healthcare student?

UNISON is asking students to take part in an online survey to gather evidence about their experience on placements and at university, and how it affects them and their family