RCN warns of chronic nurse shortages as training places are slashed
Published: 01 February 2012
The RCN has said it is "deeply concerned" about proposed cuts to nurse training places as more universities reveal plans to reduce their student intake.
The Scottish Government has confirmed it will have nearly 300 fewer places for nursing and midwifery students next academic year and NHS London has announced more than 400 places on adult nursing courses will be axed. Reports suggest similar cuts are being proposed elsewhere.
A Nursing Standard investigation found that NHS North West intends to reduce nurse training places by 16 per cent by 2014/15 and NHS South East Coast plans to cut nursing and midwifery training commissions by more than six per cent next academic year.
The pattern is also spreading. It has been reported that NHS North East plans to cut over three per cent of its student nurse intake and NHS South West will cut five per cent.
RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary Dr Peter Carter said these reductions, which amount to thousands of nurse training places, are "seriously worrying".
"The nursing workforce has grown in recent years, but only just enough to keep up with rising demands in health care," he said. "It is vital to avoid a return to the chronic nurse shortages of 20 years ago and the old boom and bust cycle of NHS workforce planning."
It is not just the ageing population that presents a cause for concern. The ageing nurse workforce is also a worry. About one in three registered nurses is now aged over 50. "Part of the reason we’re anxious about trainee places is that a lot of nurses are due to retire in the near future," said Gill Robertson, the RCN’s adviser for nursing students. "Many job losses in the NHS will be through natural wastage and early retirement. That is why we need more training, not less, to fill vacancies."
The RCN is collecting information about cuts to nurse education as part of its Frontline First campaign. Having a true picture of what is happening on the ground enables the College to hold decision-makers to account and dispute claims that frontline services are being protected. Have you heard that nurse training places are being reduced at your university? Let the RCN know now.
Dr Carter added: "Each strategic health authority needs to produce a robust plan guaranteeing continued investment in nurse training and education. Having the right numbers and mix of health care professionals is pivotal in enabling newly qualified nurses to provide high quality care and improved patient outcomes."