Thousands of student nurses hired to battle Covid-19 face financial despair after paid placements are cut short
- Student nurses were pressed into service by the NHS during the Covid-19 crisis
- NHS England said paid placements will end in July and not in September
- Nurses claim NHS England can no longer afford to pay the student nurses
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Thousands of student nurses recruited to work on the front line against Covid-19 have been told their placements will be cut short, plunging some of them into financial despair.
Nurses took to Facebook and Twitter to express outrage at a decision from NHS England that their paid placements will now finish at the end of July instead of running until the end of September.
One nurse calling herself Becky Jane said nurses had been told by Health Education England – which oversees training – that the NHS can no longer afford to keep the paid placements going until the end of September as originally promised.
Student nurses has been told their Covid-19 contracts will finish at the end of July following an announcement by NHS England
The final year student nurses were sent to work in Covid-19 wards before completing their training. In response, they were offered a special contract which was due to continue until they qualify at the end of September
She wrote on Facebook: ‘Some of us left jobs for this. Many of us have children and families to care for.’
She said nurses could graduate with around £30,000 debt already and had signed up for the six-month placements at the start of April despite being ‘terrified’ of contracting Covid-19.
She added: ‘Please do not clap for your NHS. Please in future consider voting to fund it properly.’
Another nurse, Sarah Flynn, wrote on Facebook: ‘We saved your life Boris or have you forgotten?’
In mid-April, NHS England reported that nearly 15,000 student nurses, midwives and medical students had joined ‘frontline NHS teams as part of the nationwide coronavirus fightback’.
Sir Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive, praised them at the time, saying they were ‘stepping up to serve in the fight against coronavirus’.
He added: ‘Today we want to say particular thanks to the new generation of NHS staff who are starting their careers early to play their part.
‘These students are beginning their careers as the NHS faces the greatest global health challenge in the history of the health service.
‘Their commitment to the NHS and all it stands for is as great as that of any previous generation, and the whole country will be both grateful and proud.’
More than 25,000 students across the UK were deployed to the front line on extended and paid clinical placements to assist with the Covid-19 response.
According to the website NursingNotes, one university told its student nurses: ‘We have now had final confirmation that the 31st of July 2020 will be the end date for all students on paid placements in all placement areas.’
Former health secretary and Tory MP Jeremy Hunt tweeted of the reports from student nurses: ‘This would be very concerning if true but I cannot believe govt would let down this brilliant and brave group of people.’
Professor Mark Radford, chief nurse at Health Education England, said in a statement: ‘We would like to thank all those students who were able to come forward to support the NHS at this challenging time. It has been hugely appreciated.
‘Student placements are not usually paid, although NHS England and NHS Improvement funded them on this occasion in recognition of the special circumstances.
‘While funding to the end of July will ensure the majority of students have time to complete the hours necessary to move to the next stage of their career, any student who requires continued funding over the summer will receive it.’
The PA news agency has asked for clarification on what the funding over the summer includes.
Mike Adams, director for England at the Royal College of Nursing, said: ‘We urge Health Education England and the NHS in England to offer some clarity for students about the way forward.
‘The vital work student nurses have been doing throughout the pandemic has demonstrated the huge contribution nursing undergraduates make to our health and care services.
‘The commitments they made should be honoured during any transition back to established programme structures.’