Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Healthcare Higher Education Funding

Monday 23 November 2020 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Government keeps the funding arrangements for the education of all pre-registration undergraduate and postgraduate NHS health professions under close review.
  • NHS professional student placements are primarily funded by the education and training tariff.
  • The Government expresses gratitude to nursing students who opted for paid clinical placements in the NHS during the pandemic.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Lilian Greenwood Lab Nottingham South
NHS Education
Context

The question concerns recent assessments on reforming the funding for healthcare professional education in England. There are ongoing discussions about supporting students appropriately.

Question

What recent assessment has been made of the potential merits of reforming the funding of healthcare higher education in England?

Answer from Michelle Donelan

The Government keep the funding arrangements for the education of all pre-registration undergraduate and postgraduate NHS health professions under close review to ensure that students are appropriately supported. Most NHS professional student placements are funded by the education and training tariff, and the allocation of funding is reviewed and published annually.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address any specific assessment or reform plan for healthcare higher education funding.

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Q2 Lilian Greenwood Lab Nottingham South
NHS
Context

Student nurses and midwives who stepped up during the first wave of the pandemic face huge debts due to bursaries being abolished in 2016. The question addresses their contributions and financial burdens.

Question

Nursing and midwifery students are required to undertake 2,300 hours of clinical placement to qualify. Maintenance grants were reintroduced in England in September but those student nurses and midwives who just graduated or who are about to face huge debts because their bursaries were abolished in 2016. What will the Minister do to acknowledge their contribution and ensure they do not feel undervalued?

Answer from Michelle Donelan

I echo the hon. Member's sentiment about the true value that nursing students and graduates have given this country during one of the hardest times we have faced. The Government are extremely grateful for all those students who opted into a paid clinical placement in the NHS during this extremely difficult time, and we have ensured that all those students were fairly rewarded for their hard work.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not address any specific actions to acknowledge contributions or alleviate financial burdens beyond expressing gratitude and mentioning fair rewards for paid placements.

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