RCN Northern Ireland welcomed enhanced student financial support
Published: 17 January 2008
RCN Northern Ireland welcomes enhanced financial support for nursing students
RCN Northern Ireland has welcomed a package of measures to enhance the financial support of pre-registration students of nursing and midwifery in Northern Ireland, published for consultation by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety [DHSSPS].
Following extensive lobbying by RCN Northern Ireland in recent years, the DHSSPS has agreed a proposed range of measures, including a maternity allowance, a new contribution to child care payments, the introduction of a new parents’ learning allowance to replace the single parents’ learning allowance, the retention of the non-means tested student nurse bursary, and the removal of age-based restrictions upon bursaries.
The review was initiated by former direct rule Health Minister Paul Goggins MP following a meeting with RCN Northern Ireland and in response to a long-running RCN campaign that highlighted inequities between student financial support in Northern Ireland and that available in the rest of the United Kingdom. The RCN Northern Ireland response to the consultation was drafted in partnership with its Association of Nursing Students [ANS] membership.
Read the full Consultation response (Word 838KB)