Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of widening access to NHS careers by providing (a) support for mature students and (b) childcare and grants to assist with staff training.

Widening access to NHS careers remains a key priority for Government. The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, published on 30 June 2023 sets out an ongoing ambition to work to widen participation in education and training, so the NHS workforce is representative of the communities we serve, and students gain the skills, knowledge and experience they need to deliver high quality care to a hugely diverse population.

The NHS Learning Support Fund provides eligible nursing, midwifery and allied health professions students with a non-repayable training grant of a minimum of £5,000 per academic year. Further funding is available depending on personal circumstances, including a non-repayable grant of £2,000 per academic year for students with one or more child dependents.

The NHS Bursary provides payment for tuition fees for students on medical and dental courses from year five of an undergraduate course, and from year two of a graduate-entry course. The NHS Bursary also provide students, where eligible, with a dependants’ allowance, parent learning allowance and childcare allowance.