Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of alternative providers entering the higher education sector to deliver health, nursing and allied health courses which will be (a) private and (b) for-profit.

This information is not held centrally.

Education providers wishing to deliver health profession courses such as nursing or physiotherapy, must ensure the relevant regulator is satisfied that their proposed course will deliver graduates who possess the required knowledge and expertise of a newly qualified professional. For example, education providers wishing to deliver pre-registration nursing courses must submit their request in writing to the Nursing and Midwifery Council and meet a number of set criteria.