At the start of February, I found myself in a room with shocked and distressed nurse educators from Cardiff University. Staff described their dismay at Cardiff University’s proposal to discontinue nurse education, which was promptly followed by letters of potential redundancy. As I sat and listened to RCN members introduce themselves, what stood out for me was the amount of experience and expertise in the room; nurse educators who have worked at Cardiff – a Russell Group university – for decades, their dedication to nurse education and their commitment to the profession.

Nursing as a subject has been singled out for recent challenges that are not unique to Cardiff, with cited issues including recruitment, student experience and placement challenges, many of which nurse educators within universities across the four nations will be grappling with. The proposed solution is extreme and, rather than work collaboratively with staff to overcome these challenges, Cardiff University has seized an opportunity to refocus its efforts on becoming an elite institution, despite their nursing provision performing well as the top university to study at in Wales, fifth in the UK and 51st globally.

It seems that Cardiff University has lost sight of its civic duty in developing and delivering the future nursing workforce, both locally and nationally for Wales. The very idea of discontinuing nurse education is out of line with their own mission, which is to act as an anchor institution for the benefit of the capital.

The delivery of nurse education is not simply about undergraduate nursing students, it is part of a larger ecosystem that exists between teaching, research, and the generation of knowledge – which, in turn, benefits patients and the public. In this respect, Cardiff University stands out for its location, reputation and research-intensive culture. It is for this reason that the RCN Wales Research Chair has been hosted by Cardiff University for so many years; the RCN recognised the environment and culture that the establishment offers for this Professorship to impact on nursing research.

The proposal to discontinue nursing as a subject at a time when workforce development is most crucial devalues the nursing profession. For many, nursing is a lifelong career, and having access to high quality postgraduate provision is essential for retaining and developing a highly skilled nursing workforce to meet the ambitious strategic nursing workforce plan for Wales. It is essential that Wales has institutions with the resources, capacity and expertise to deliver nurse education, and any loss of postgraduate provision is a matter of great concern at a time when Wales needs to be growing its advanced and consultant nurse workforce.

Finally, a prestigious Russell Group university delivering nurse education in Wales raises the profile and importance of the profession. This enables the subject to be taught in an environment that is research intensive, which develops the evidence base and continues to progress the profession beyond traditions. Therefore, it is especially important that historical, reputable and esteemed institutions choose to deliver nursing because of the fantastic contribution nursing makes to society and I have worked actively with nurse educators to respond to the proposal.