The financial crisis in universities is ‘engulfing’ nursing courses as more than six in ten (61%) nurse lecturers and other higher education nursing staff across the UK report redundancies and recruitment freezes.
Nursing education staff raised the alarm over university course closures during the Royal College of Nursing’s (RCN) annual conference, as they shared fears about how the issue could impact the nurse recruitment challenge.
The wider crisis in nurse education has seen students told at the end of their courses that there are no graduate-entry nursing roles available, the College confirms.
Universities across the UK are facing severe financial difficulties due to a significant fall in the number of international students along with rising costs and overheads.
Now, a new survey of over 600 university staff delivering nursing courses in UK universities has revealed widespread risks to jobs.
More than six in ten (61%) nurse educators have been directly impacted by redundancy, staffing restructures or a recruitment freeze. The situation has become so bad that now one in four (25%) nursing educators are considering leaving the profession altogether.
Standards of education and the quality of patient care is also under threat with three in four (75%) saying that cuts would impact the outcomes of nursing students.
The College argues that without immediate financial support for universities in the UK, the number of qualified nurses could fall to critical levels, putting patient safety at risk. Across the UK, there are currently at least 41,000 vacant registered nurse posts.
The situation is particularly severe in England, where university finances are under even more extreme pressure. The university regulator, the Office for Students, says 40% of English universities will be reporting deficits this year.
The RCN’s survey shows that 54 out of 72 (75%) universities offering nursing degree courses in England are being forced to reduce staffing costs, as the impact of frozen tuition fees and a decline in international student numbers continues to bite.
RCN members say that the universities affected include the University of Huddersfield, Sheffield Hallam University and Coventry University. Cuts and redundancies at dozens of universities in England would critically undermine the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan’s ability to deliver growth in the number of student nurses.
One nurse educator working in Yorkshire, said: “We are facing an emergency in nurse education. Reductions in educators will ultimately impact on quality of patient care, retention of students and student experience.”
Another working in London, said: “I think this will be the straw that broke the camel’s back. A significant number of experienced lecturers are taking redundancies, it will make the delivery of our courses significantly more difficult.”
The RCN says urgent action is required to avert a growing catastrophe in the higher education sector, which risks job losses for hundreds of experienced nurse educators and damage to the recruitment and education of tens of thousands of nursing students.
To address the crisis, the RCN is calling for the next government to deliver an emergency financial intervention to stabilise higher education institutions within 100 days of taking office.
The new government should also look to incentivise prospective nursing students, either through upfront funded tuition fees or loan forgiveness as recognition for public service. This would help stabilise courses further, the RCN says.
The survey follows analysis from the RCN which showed that student nurse numbers have dramatically declined, to the extent that the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan for England is projected to fall short of its target by more than 10,000 by 2025.
Acting General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger said: “Nursing is a degree-educated, highly skilled and safety-critical profession, but the very people who teach and train the nurses of the future are being made redundant. The financial crisis in universities is threatening to engulf nursing – we need action now to stop a total collapse of courses.
“What is happening in universities will impact the NHS, the care sector, and their ability to provide safely staffed services. The higher education sector educates and trains the vast majority of nurses and without an urgent intervention, ministers and health leaders will face a deepening nurse recruitment crisis.
“This summer, the government must deliver financial support to stabilise universities. This cannot wait. And we must see ministers protect nursing courses by properly incentivising people to study the profession. That’s how to secure the workforce of the future and protect patient safety.”
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Notes to Editors
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) undertook a rapid survey of members working in higher and further education settings across the UK in May 2024. In total, 673 respondents answered the survey. Of the respondents who answered the survey 545 (81%) were from England (including Channel Islands and Isle of Man), 17 (3%) from Northern Ireland, 70 (10%) from Scotland and 39 (6%) from Wales. The remaining preferred not to answer (2, <1%).
