Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Healthcare Students: Pay and Financial Support

20 November 2023 · 2 other contributors · 4,616 words

Opened by Marsha de Cordova Lab Battersea

Responding minister: Andrew Stephenson

EducationBenefits & WelfareNHS

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Marsha de Cordova raised concerns about healthcare students: pay and financial support in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Cost of living crisis disproportionately affects healthcare students, leading to financial strain and increased debt.
  • Eighty per cent of student midwives report taking on additional debt beyond standard student finance.
  • Government supports healthcare students with a non-repayable training grant of at least 5,000 per academic year since 2020.

Key requests to Government

The Government should increase financial support for healthcare students by creating a debt offset or write-off scheme for those who commit to working in the NHS, ensuring grants reflect true living costs, extending free childcare to those on placements, and addressing intersectionality issues affecting women and mature students. The Government must also focus on workforce challenges by considering all options to incentivise more people into healthcare professions.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Marsha de Cordova Lab Battersea

The cost of living crisis has disproportionately affected healthcare students, with many struggling to afford energy bills, food, and childcare. Eighty per cent of student midwives reported taking on additional debt over the standard student finance package, and nearly three quarters expect to graduate with debts exceeding £40,000. Many are forced into unpaid clinical placements, while others balance parenting duties and part-time jobs, leading to considerable financial strain and increased risk of leaving their courses.

Other contributors (2)
  • Andrew Gwynne Ind Gorton and Denton

    Student nurses and midwives face significant financial pressures, with 89% worrying about debt levels and many struggling to afford basic necessities. The abolition of NHS bursaries has led to a decline in nursing applications by nearly 30%. Labour calls for increased placements and better support to address the NHS workforce crisis.

  • Paul Blomfield Lab Sheffield Central

    Regretting his inability to stay for the whole debate, Paul Blomfield highlighted a previous debate from seven years ago where the then Minister, Ben Gummer, promised to share benefits of the undergraduate student funding system with healthcare students. He argued that changes to bursaries have led to fewer potential nurses and midwives entering the profession, especially mature applicants, citing UCAS figures showing a 16% decline in applications for healthcare courses this year. The hon. Member supports the point made by his colleague about midwives, extending it to nurses and other healthcare students facing financial difficulties due to a broken student funding model. According to Save the Student, average loans fall short of living costs by £439 per month, forcing many students into excessive part-time work—some working over 35 hours weekly at Russell Group universities. This is not an option for most healthcare students due to their course structure.

Government Response

Andrew Stephenson

I am grateful to the British public for raising important issues covered in three petitions today. The Government recognises the unique nature of healthcare degrees, the intensity of courses, and financial pressures during clinical placements, which is why we support students with a non-repayable training grant of at least £5,000 per academic year since September 2020. We announced a 50% increase to travel and accommodation payments this year through the learning support fund. The Government are expanding alternative routes into healthcare careers to enable diverse backgrounds to bring unique skills to the NHS, including blended learning courses and clinical staff apprenticeships, with a target of 20% by 2032. There is an expected rebalancing following unprecedented demand for healthcare courses during the pandemic; current data shows increases in applications and enrolments compared to pre-pandemic levels. The Government provide financial support to students with children through various grants including the childcare grant covering up to £190 a week per child and the parents' learning allowance of up to £1,915 annually.

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