Responding to the announcement by the Department for Health and Social Care, RCN Deputy Director for Nursing, Dr Nichola Ashby, said:
"We have been campaigning on this and it is an important step in improving nursing students' ability to afford to fulfil their placements, but more radical changes are needed to address the shortage of nursing students.
"There is a worrying bigger picture - nursing students accepted onto degree courses this month are down 13%. The government must remove the burden of student debt and tuition fees from prospective nurses, and better pay those in the profession. These changes must be made if the NHS Workforce Plan is to deliver the nursing staff needed for the NHS and social care.
"Far more work needs to be done to make nursing attractive to the next generation. The nurses of tomorrow are still being put off by the prospect of eye-watering student debt, low pay, and intolerable working conditions."
