In recent years, the failure to fill the funded student nurse places at universities has meant that the Scottish government hasn’t met it’s predicted spend on the nursing bursary. We want to see this funding, that was allocated to the nursing profession, remain within the nursing budget.
UCAS figures published in December showed that, for the third year in a row, Scotland has failed to fill the places on nursing courses and recruit the number of nursing students needed.
A total 3,530 students were accepted onto undergraduate nursing courses at Scotland’s universities in 2024. This is significantly fewer students than the places originally identified by, and funded by, the Scottish government; a shortfall of over 800.
In Scotland, eligible nursing students receive a bursary of £10,000 each year. A shortfall of 800 students beginning a nursing degree in 2024 means the Scottish government is saving around £8m this year alone, and £24m over the course of a three-year nursing degree. Over the last three years over 2,400 fewer nursing students have started university than planned, which means tens of millions in nursing bursaries have not been paid out.
We are clear that action is needed to boost nursing recruitment. For every year that nursing student places aren’t filled, the gap between the number of registered nurses that are needed, and the number entering the workforce, widens even further. Ministers should be using the tens of millions saved in unspent nursing bursaries to invest in nursing and in tackling the recruitment and retention crisis facing the profession. To grow and support the profession so that ultimately all the places on nursing courses are filled.
This should include funding to deliver the recommendations of the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce, led by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care. For the past two years experts from across the nursing and midwifery professions have been working together through the Taskforce to agree what needs to be done to retain our current workforce and recruit our future professionals.
The Taskforce is due to publish its recommendations in the coming weeks and delivering these vital improvements will require time and money.
Colin Poolman, RCN Scotland Director, said:
“The Scottish government cannot renew health and care services without investment to support and grow the largest NHS workforce. Demand for services is rising, and Scotland needs thousands of new nurses to fill current vacancies in the NHS and social care. Yet applications to nursing courses are at a six-year low and over the last three years thousands of nursing student places have gone unfilled.
“Ministers should be using the tens of millions saved in unspent nursing bursaries to invest in nursing and in tackling the recruitment and retention crisis facing the profession. It’s more important than ever that the Scottish government’s Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce delivers positive change. The Taskforce is due to publish its recommendations in the coming weeks, but this is just the first step. Delivering these vital improvements will require time and money.
“These missing millions must be invested into nursing to achieve a sustainable nursing workforce for the future. A good place to start is funding the delivery of the Taskforce’s recommendations.”
