Nurse Education in the Higher Education Economic Recession
Understanding the impact of financial pressures on nurse education and the future workforce.
13 May 2026, 18:00 - 19:00
Choose event information:
Participants will engage in focused discussion on immediate mitigation actions and longer‑term strategies to protect educational quality, equity, and the sustainability of the nursing pipeline.
Universities across the UK are experiencing significant financial strain, and nurse education is feeling the impact. Programme closures, workforce instability, rising workloads and reduced research capacity are creating challenges for educators, students and clinical partners. These pressures also raise concerns about the long‑term sustainability of the nursing workforce at a time of continued demand across health and care services.
Date: 13 May 2026
Time: 18:00–19:00
Location: Online via MS Teams
This webinar, hosted by the RCN Institute of Nursing Excellence – Education, will bring together the following speakers:
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Professor Jane Ball, Director, RCN Institute of Nursing Excellence
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Professor Dave Clarke, Associate Director for Education
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Dr Rachael Major, Chair, RCN Education Forum
The session will explore how financial pressures are affecting programme delivery, academic staffing, student experience and clinical partnerships, and will consider the wider risks to the nursing pipeline. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss current challenges, identify short‑term mitigation actions and reflect on longer‑term strategies to maintain educational quality, equity and future workforce supply.
If you need further information about the webinar, please contact the organising team at Education@rcn.org.uk.
Online
Professor Dave Clarke, Associate Director for Education
Dave worked in higher education for 24 years before joining the RCN in 2022 to head up the (now) King’s Cadet Scheme. He has held roles at Cardiff University, the University of West of England and the University of Leicester where, as professor, he developed the university’s first nursing programme. Dave has published internationally and continues to be an editorial board member for health care journals.
Professor Jane Ball, Director, RCN Institute of Nursing Excellence
Jane is director of the RCN Institute of Nursing Excellence. Over the past 30 plus years her research has focused on nursing employment and deployment, looking at how features of nurse staffing affect care quality, patient outcomes and nurses themselves. The unifying aim of the work has been to identify conditions needed to allow nurses to deliver excellent care and have satisfying and sustainable careers.
Dr Rachael Major, Chair, RCN Education Forum
Rachael is a Registered Nurse (Adult), qualifying in 1996, with a background in physiology and extensive clinical and academic experience. Now a senior lecturer and the operational lead for student support and inclusion, she oversees a range of undergraduate and postgraduate professional practice programmes. Her research focuses on neurodiversity in nursing, biological sciences education and the transition of newly qualified nurses, and she is passionate about supporting learners from diverse backgrounds.
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Page last updated - 14/04/2026
