Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to support healthcare students who assisted throughout the covid-19 outbreak; and what plans he has to forgive current debt for all current nursing, midwifery and allied healthcare students.

All healthcare students in England opting in to paid placements during the pandemic receive a salary and automatic National Health Service pension entitlement at the appropriate band, and maintain their eligibility for relevant student support packages from the Student Loans Company, in addition to non-repayable funding through the NHS Learning Support Fund.

While students are undertaking a paid placement, they remain on their course and continue to be supported by their university/approved education institution. Additional support measures have been put in place by the NHS including access to broadly equitable support to NHS staff, such as being classed as essential workers for the purpose of testing, travel and access to childcare places, having access to appropriate personal protective equipment for placement duties and health and wellbeing support.

The Government has no plans for a specific student borrowing write-off or reimbursement scheme for nursing, midwifery and allied healthcare students.