Nurses 'quitting to afford homes'

Nursing leaders say staff need more help to afford property

Nurses are being forced to quit the profession because they cannot afford to buy homes, the Royal College of Nursing has warned.

The RCN said the government's scheme to help public sector workers get onto the property ladder has failed to help thousands in places like London.

The government says its initiative, the Key Worker Living scheme, has a limited allocation of funds.

But the RCN said more money should be put into the scheme.

It also wants to see it extended outside the South East to other areas where workers currently get no help.

The Key Worker Living scheme helps workers buy homes by offering them loans of up to £50,000, or shared ownership schemes.

It is open to other public sector workers, such as police officers and teachers, but excludes nurses employed outside the NHS in private and charity sectors, as well as overseas nurses in the UK on work permits.

'Over-stretched'

In its first year, the scheme helped 653 nurses in the South East. So far this year, the scheme has received 25,000 applications, of which 5,197 are completed or are at an advanced stage.

But the government has revealed the scheme's money is almost fully committed in some areas after just two months.

Practically all my wages go on housing and transport to work Laura Jeffrey, Neonatal staff nurse

The RCN says nurses are frustrated at not being able to afford to buy homes are having to find better paid jobs or take on extra work.

"We've had examples where a senior nurse is talking about becoming a plumber because the wages are better and he can make sure that he has access to a home," said RCN general secretary Beverly Malone.

"When you are 42 and you still can't buy a home, or even get close to buying one, then you are in great trouble."

Claire Cannings, the RCN's welfare officer, said the scheme was "fantastic" for those it helped, but added that it could seem "divisive and extremely unfair" for those who were not eligible.

Existing property

Laura Jeffrey, a 23-year-old neonatal staff nurse at Leeds Royal Infirmary, is one of those not covered.

"It seems extremely unfair that I'm excluded from the scheme because I am not nursing in the South," she said.

"Practically all my wages go on housing and transport to work."

The government said the scheme was targeted at areas where it was hardest to recruit and retain staff.

It has also changed the scheme so key workers can apply to improve an existing property into a family home.

A spokesman for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which oversees the scheme, said: "People may have problems buying a property, but if they are not in an area where there is a recruitment and retention issue, the scheme does not operate.

"Staffing levels are monitored by the relevant departments, such as the Department of Health."

A Department of Health spokeswoman said it recognised some staff had problems getting onto the property ladder, but added that pay and conditions for nurses had improved.