A government drive to recruit nurses is beginning to take effect, according to the latest figures for university course entrants.

More than 2,700 student nurses took up places on degree courses last autumn - an increase of a quarter on the year before.

The government has been running a £5 million advertising campaign in an attempt to fill 9,000 nursing vacancies in England and Wales.

The statistics were published by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service.

In addition, final figures from the Nursing and Midwifery Admissions Service show an 18% increase in student nurses attending diploma courses, up from 12,567 in 1998 to 14,834 last year.

'Good news'

The figures were welcomed by the Royal College of Nursing.

Tom Bolger, Assistant General Secretary, said: "This is really good news. It shows that the government's start on raising the value of nursing is beginning to work.

"Nurses can achieve much when given the right support."

But he added: "These measures - last year's pay rise for newly qualified nurses and the prospect of a long-term career structure - are only part of the solution to the nationwide shortage of nurses.

"The government must also act to keep experienced nurses in the NHS."

The government has already announced a 12% pay rise for newly-qualified nurses - and a 4.7% rise across the board for other staff.

It has also promised more flexible working arrangements to tempt nurses with family and other commitments back into the service.

A hotline set up for "nurse returners" has received thousands of calls, and there has been a strong uptake of refresher courses for nurses currently outside the NHS.

The NHS will also have "supernurses", highly experienced nurses paid approximately £40,000.

Shortages of nurses, exacerbated by nurses catching the flu, have been partly blamed for the pressures on hospitals caused by the outbreak.