After a day of teaching in January, I was told I could lose my job. I was facing a stark new reality: most nursing lecturers at Cardiff University were facing the prospect of redundancy. We were advised that if cost-saving changes were not put in place, the whole university was facing bankruptcy within 4 years.
However, talk of tough decisions for the university doesn’t represent what’s in the best interests of nursing students and nursing care in Wales, and beyond.
This could be the tip of the iceberg: nursing courses cannot become an easy target
This could be the tip of the iceberg. Nursing courses are expensive to run, and we cannot become an easy target. If these proposals go ahead, a clear message will be sent to other universities looking to balance their books.
Quality nurse education ensures quality nurse provision and the right care for patients. Nursing programmes should be invested in, not scapegoated as a cost-saving measure.
I’m proud to be a nurse educator and stand tall for all to see the value of what I do. Excellent nurse education is vital to the future of nursing.
Recognising excellence
The university executive board has stated they want Cardiff to become an elite university. So, these proposals show nursing is not valued, understood, or respected as an academic profession by the board.
As it's a government-funded course, and there is a shortage of nurses in Wales and across the UK, this provides the university with a stable income and clear demand. Commissioning may add complexity, but it takes away the uncertainty of a market environment which other courses have to deal with.
Nursing has been an academic programme in Cardiff for more than 50 years and today is ranked highly in Wales and the UK, with nearly half of applicants coming from outside Wales.
We’re the only Russell Group university in Wales and in the top 100 nursing schools in the world, and postgraduate students come to Cardiff to be taught by world-leading nurse educators that I call my colleagues and friends. The university also hosts the RCN Wales Research Chair. Yet, the nursing programme has been inaccurately described by the university executive board as “failing”.
The longer-term impact
The closure of nursing programmes will have a direct impact on the supply chain to the Welsh NHS, particularly in south Wales, and limit opportunities for nurses to undertake postgraduate qualifications and continue their lifelong learning.
In 2024, the Welsh registered nursing staff deficit stood at an estimated 2,000 vacancies. How will closing a nursing school that educates up to 1,000 nurses every year in children’s, mental health and adult nursing help address this?
Those making the proposals made assumptions about the ability of other educational institutions to pick up the shortfall. This was, at best, optimistic.
I chose to work here because the university has an excellent reputation
As a former student of the university, I chose to work here because the university has an excellent reputation not only in nursing but also in the delivery of multi-disciplinary postgraduate taught subjects such as complex decision making, a course led by a highly esteemed nurse educator.
If nursing lecturers are made redundant, there’ll be a direct impact on other programmes in the university. We currently run advanced clinical practice and health care practice programmes, which successfully attract nurses interested in developing their leadership and specialty careers, alongside physiotherapists, occupational therapists, midwives, pharmacists, dieticians and paramedics from across the world.
The fight will go on
There’s been a devastating impact on students here who continue to receive mixed messages from the board. They chose to come to Cardiff but now they feel they’re not valued.
But I’ve been so impressed by how they’ve stood up, writing letters of support and being active and vocal in demonstrations. In the middle of all this, our third-year students submitted their dissertations.
The RCN recognises these proposals for what they are: an attack on nursing
Despite the turmoil going on around them, they demonstrated professionalism and showcased their organising skills – always valued in the profession.
The RCN has been proactive in fighting our cause, too. RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger joined us at a demonstration because the RCN recognises these proposals for what they are: an attack on nursing.
I’ve focused my career on training and educating the next generation of nurse leaders. My students have been and will continue to be at the forefront of all that I do.
We’re now more than halfway through the internal consultation period in response to Cardiff University’s proposal to discontinue nurse education. While the outlook is grim, I’ll continue to speak out and defend the future of the profession I love.
This is not about me potentially losing my job, it’s about the future of nursing.
