Why is Scotland able to train almost TWICE as many nurses as England?

By Professor John Robertson OBA, former Faculty Research Ethics Chair, UWS

The Scotsman today is front-paging Alarm over fresh drop in applicants for nurses course based on a 2% reduction in applications, from 4 650 to 4 560, six months before ‘clearing’ processes in the week and months before course start, can fill the missing places.

The ‘alarm’ is from a union rep and, evidence-free, the fall in applications is explained by poor working conditions, which in turn, is based upon a small sample, self-selecting (squeaky wheel) survey.

Not mentioned, of course, is how this level of nurse training compares with other parts of the UK.

So, if Scotland is training 4 560 how many might NHS England be expected to be training? At ten times the population, around 45 000?

It’s 26 3301, not much over half the number you might expect they’d need.

Why is this?

From the British journal of Nursing in April 2024:

This UCAS data are more than just numbers; they reflect the changing dynamics in healthcare education and broader societal trends. The decrease in applications and acceptances could be attributed to various factors, including the intense pressures that health professionals have faced during the pandemic, which might deter potential applicants. The psychological and physical toll of the pandemic on healthcare workers has been widely publicised, possibly influencing the decision-making of those considering the profession.2

What is the Scottish Government doing to encourage applications?

Only in Scotland:

The Scottish Government will pay your tuition fees. Graduates may need to check if the government will pay their fees. The bursary is £10,000, which isn’t means-tested. Funding covers the whole year (52 weeks). If you’re studying an honours degree, you’ll get 75% of the bursary in your fourth year. The bursary includes £5 for daily travel but you can claim for placement expenses above this. You’re expected to use the cheapest public transport. (In Scotland, bus travel is free for Scottish residents under 22 years old). If costs are more than £30 per day, you should stay in local accommodation if possible. In your first year, there’s also a £60 initial expenses allowance.

Additional allowances include: Dependents Allowances – if you have a partner or spouse with a low income; Single Parents’ Allowance; Childcare Allowance – for registered childcare costs; Disabled Students’ Allowance. A discretionary fund is available for students in severe financial hardship.3

Sources:

  1. https://www.britishjournalofnursing.com/content/regulars/trends-in-nursing-applications#:~:text=Some%2026%20330%20applicants%20were%20accepted%20onto%20undergraduate,landscape%20and%20perhaps%20a%20higher%20calibre%20of%20applicants.
  2. https://www.britishjournalofnursing.com/content/regulars/trends-in-nursing-applications#:~:text=Some%2026%20330%20applicants%20were%20accepted%20onto%20undergraduate,landscape%20and%20perhaps%20a%20higher%20calibre%20of%20applicants.
  3. https://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/student-advice/finance/nhs-bursary#ParamedicNursingandMidwiferyStudentBursaryinScotland
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9 thoughts on “Why is Scotland able to train almost TWICE as many nurses as England?”

  2. Because successive Westminster Government’s have nothing but contempt for the Public sector. It goes back to 79′ when Thatcher came to power, and since then it’s been downhill all the way. As far as the E.N.H.S service goes, it is well on the way to being privatised, a process started by the then Labour Health Minister, Andy Burnham. in 2008. The Health and Social Care Act, introduced by the Tory/LibDem coalition in 2012, accelerated that process. Unfortunately, because we didn’t have the courage to vote for Independence in 2014, the S.N.H.S is going to suffer because of these decisions made by successive Westminster Government’s, Government’s I might add, that have no empathy or care for real people, the ones they pretend to love, whenever there is an election to be one. The present one has proved that in spades, in a very short time frame that even I didn’t think was possible. Horrible people.

    Liked by 4 people

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  3. The Tories (ConDems) underfunded the NHS for 14 years. The Scottish Gov has to mitigate the cuts. There is an extra £22Billion going to the NHS in April. Scotland £2Billion?

    Labour cut the winter fuel allowance. £1.5Billion. More people will end up in hospital. No joined up thinking.

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but my daughter in law, who’s daughter in law has recently qualified and has taken up a nursing position, was telling me that another newly qualified girl could not get a job in Scotland and ended up applying for a place in an English hospital.

    I’ve no reason to doubt what she said but it does seem a bit thick if we are training nurses free for them to have to work in England.

    I had heard before about newly trained nurses not being able to find posts in Scottish hospitals but dismissed it as the usual unionist propaganda till now.

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. I suspect it’s a case of being victim of your own success – ‘churn’ may have reduced over the study period due to better conditions and morale, and despite SG’s best intentions of apportioning higher budgets, the block grant is variable despite all the ‘highest ever’ bullshit’.

      It’s impossible to estimate successful graduates for the available slots that far down the line, but better a surplus than a shortage as in England…

      Liked by 2 people

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      1. Is it a surplus though? We keep being told there are still thousands of nurses short in Scotland. I never believe a word that Jackie Baillie says but the the RCN says that demand continues to outstrip supply. As well as that, staff turnover and absences have increased.

        Could this possibly be down to financial pressures with hospitals unable to employ the staff they need?

        Liked by 2 people

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        1. Nope, that’s what the propagandists want you to believe, Lazy Winters from BBC Scotland.
          Daft though it may sound, all nurses specialise post qualification, doctors specialise earlier in their courses but still have to improve their specialism. A good example is Sandesh Gulhane, specialised in political bullshit, complete with an NHS lanyard and hair-gel, none of which are recognised by the BMA.

          The shortages are all in specialist fields not general. Thus in your example he/she has to build the expertise somewhere else, because there aren’t enough slots to train him/her up to attain the level of expertise.

          I’m not saying it’s simple, but we don’t write the rules, but it’s overdue time we did. 😉

          Liked by 1 person

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  6. Pingback: In Scotland, twice as many midwives and 33% more nurses – Talking-up Scotland

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