Nursing union calls for urgent action after drop in number of new students

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has said the Scottish Government must take “urgent action” as figures showed a decrease in the number of Scotland’s nursing students.

The university admission service, UCAS, has published figures that show a decrease in the number of acceptances onto nursing courses beginning this autumn.

The number of accepted applicants for nursing courses in Scotland is down 5% compared to the same time last year.

The RCN is the world’s largest professional organisation and trade union for nursing staff, with members in the NHS, independent and voluntary sectors.

Colin Poolman, RCN Scotland director, said: “The data trend tells us that, while for many people nursing remains a fantastic career, urgent action is needed to secure the future nursing workforce.

“Acceptances onto courses at this stage in the cycle are only a snapshot of progress towards the target. But the previous years’ trend suggests the target will be missed and we face another year with unfilled places.”

Previous year’s figures have shown a decrease in nursing student applications. In 2023, it was reported the number of applicants to nursing courses in Scotland had fallen by 24% compared with the same point the previous year.

In 2024, a small increase in applications was noted, however, the figure was down 17% when compared with the level of applicants before the pandemic.

Mr Poolman said: “Scotland does not have the number of nurses now that it needs to meet the demand for care in health and social care services.

“Thousands of registered nurses are missing from health and social care teams across Scotland, impacting on the quality and safety of patient care.

“This is a desperate negative spiral. The Scottish Government must take urgent action now and make investment focused on addressing the nursing workforce shortages.

“This means timely and fully-funded implementation of the Nursing and Midwifery Taskforce’s recommendations published in February.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Nursing and Midwifery staffing has increased by 19% since 2006, however, we recognise the need to do more to encourage more people into the profession.

“That’s why our nursing and midwifery taskforce is bringing together partners to drive forward lasting change and support staff, this includes recommended actions to develop alternative routes to widen access into nursing and midwifery educational pathways.

“Nurses in Scotland are the highest paid in the UK and we provide the highest, non-repayable, non-means tested bursaries at £10,000 for eligible nursing and midwifery students – as well as reimbursement of expenses and a range of allowances to support entry to the profession.”