For the second year in a row, Scotland’s universities have seen a drop in the number of acceptances onto their nursing programmes – with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland calling for a boost to nursing student financial packages.

Responding to UCAS data showing an 11% drop in acceptances onto nursing programmes in Scotland this year, RCN Scotland says this marks a significant shortfall of over 800 students.

The Scottish government set an overall intake target and fund 4,536 places onto pre-registration nursing courses for 2023-24 but only 3,520 places were accepted.

RCN Scotland says the impact this will have on the number of registered nurses in Scotland in the future is a “significant concern”.

This comes just three months after student nurses shared their concerns with politicians amid the ongoing workforce crisis following survey results revealing almost all Scottish nursing students are concerned about their finances.

Now, RCN Scotland Associate Director Eileen Mckenna says the government must do more to show it values nurses:

“Today’s news, that yet again places to study nursing at Scotland’s universities are unfilled, is extremely worrying. Scotland doesn’t have the nursing workforce it needs today and the failure to fill university places means the future is looking even more challenging.  

“Nursing is a fantastic career choice, full of variety and opportunity. It’s a hugely diverse profession attracting people of all ages and from all walks of life, often as a second career.

“However, being a nurse should not be at the expense of your personal wellbeing and financial security.

"The Scottish government must demonstrate that nursing is valued and a career worth pursuing. They need to ensure that current and future nursing students get improved financial support to allow them to prioritise their education without falling into financial hardship.”

In April this year, a ministerial taskforce set up in response to an RCN Scotland mandate for strike action heard that the ministers must listen to voices of experience from across the profession.

The trade union has urged the government to set out clearer investment in fair pay for nurses and says Scotland failing to meet its target for a second year in a row reinforces the need for a financial boost to the support received by student nurses.

RCN Scotland says this drop means that the number of registered nurses qualifying in the coming years will not meet the needs of the public.

There are currently more than 5,400 vacancies for registered nurses across NHS Scotland.

Meanwhile, 65% of care homes for older people in Scotland reported registered nurse vacancies with organisations saying Scotland’s winter plan offers “no hope” to social care staff or nurses.

RCN Scotland is repeating its calls for the government to establish a regular review of support offered to nurses of the future in response to the rising cost-of-living.

The trade union is also calling for a new clinical placement expenses process that will enable students to claim during their placements, improve access to advance payments, and ensure prompt reimbursement.

It adds that health boards should ‘streamline the process’ for students to register with their local staff bank so they can supplement their bursary more effectively through paid work.

Eileen Mckenna, RCN Scotland Associate Director, said:

“The Ministerial Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce is looking at the issues behind the nursing workforce challenges and will be proposing actions to address these.

“These actions must be backed by the financial resources to deliver change and ensure nursing is positioned as a career of choice.”

Read more: Doctors ‘deeply concerned' for care homes over winter; RCN: Patients and staff suffering due to shortages; Women's Health Champion: progress in primary care; RCN: Staff need to see light at the end of the tunnel; Urgent workforce reforms needed for Scotland's NHS

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