Jonathan Ashworth MP, Labour’s Shadow
Health Secretary, responding to reports in Nursing Times
that universities are reducing the size of their nursing courses in the wake of
the removal of bursaries in England, said:
“The Government’s decision to remove
the bursaries for health degrees is a terrible misjudgment. They have failed to
deliver the extra 10,000 nursing places they promised and in fact some
universities are now planning to offer fewer places.
"Applications for nursing degrees
have fallen by 23% this year and now universities say they have not yet
received enough responses from prospective students to fill the number of
training places they are offering.
"The Government has created a crisis in the nursing workforce which is causing
chaos for patients. They should urgently revisit their decision to charge fees
for health degrees before it is too late.”
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