PRESS RELEASE : Number of nurses entering education falling, UCAS shows [December 2022]

The press release issued by the RCN on 8 December 2022.

Responding to UCAS figures showing that the number of nurses entering education is falling in the UK, RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, Pat Cullen, said:

“It is deeply troubling to see things heading in the wrong direction. People are put off nursing by the poor and unfair treatment this fantastic profession gets, often at the hands of politicians.

“With record waiting lists, we need the pipeline of the nurses of the future to be expanding, not contracting.

“That acceptances on to nursing-degree courses, and applications to them, is falling does not bode well for our profession – or for the safety of patients.

“Tomorrow’s staff need to know that a career in nursing shouldn’t come with a personal financial sacrifice. A lifetime of service must not mean a lifetime of poverty.

“In a week’s time up to 100,000 nursing staff in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be striking because they lack that assurance and because staff shortages are putting patients at risk.“Nursing students in higher education should have access to adequate financial support for tuition and the cost of living – and fair pay for the work they do. Until this happens, this downward trend in interest in the profession is likely to continue.”