When the government removed bursaries for nursing students in England, it created more places at universities, but shouldered debts that can top £60,000 on nurses. Whilst much debate has taken place requesting a return to the bursary scheme, perhaps it is time for a new way forward.
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Despite creating extra places on nursing degrees, the NHS is currently experiencing a serious shortage of nurses, with predictions for this to worsen over the coming years (see RCN for most up to date figures).
Creating a debt write off scheme for NHS nurses linked to years served within the NHS (for example, 5 years service could write off 50% of debt, 10 years could write off 100%) could improve retention and alleviate fears over high debt levels for prospective nurses.