UNISON Campaign to save the NHS Bursary

The Student Bursary is a keystone of the NHS. It enables people from all walks of life to commit to the three years of training it takes to become one of over 377,000 qualified nurses currently working in the NHS. Without the bursary many would be effectively excluded from entering nursing, midwifery, and other allied health professional roles. A reduction in the number of newly qualified staff would leave NHS Trusts even more dependent on expensive agency fees and overseas recruitment, resulting in an even greater financial crisis in our NHS.

That is why when George Osborne used the 2015 Autumn statement to announce that the NHS student bursary would be cut it was not just an attack on those who may one day wish to train to become a nurse. It was an attack on our NHS.
Since the announcement UNISON students, branches and activists have been at the forefront of the campaign to save the NHS bursary. But the government intends to push ahead with public consultation on the implementation of the bursary cut.

 

This is not an issue just for our potential future nurses. It is an issue for anyone who believes the NHS should be properly funded with sufficient staffing levels to ensure a high standard of quality of care