Student nursing places 'to be cut'

Nurse training staff were sent a warning by e-mail

Opposition parties are demanding answers from the Welsh Assembly Government over claims there will be cuts to the numbers of nurse training places.

In a leaked e-mail seen by BBC Wales, members of staff at the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Studies at University Wales, Bangor, have been warned of a cut in the number of student nurses next year.

There are currently around 700 vacant nursing posts across Wales.

The Welsh Assembly Government has denied numbers will fall, saying there will be more than 50% more students training in 2004 than six years ago.

But, in the confidential e-mail leaked to the BBC, school head Ruhi Behi said the decision had been made following a meeting with the assembly government.

"It may be prudent to assume that our spell of repetitive increasing numbers has plateaued and we could even face a reduction in student numbers over the next several years," his message said.

The e-mail went on to say that funding for the future training of already qualified nurses would also be cut back - and it advised staff that they may want to "consider their own futures and reassess their aspirations".

A similiar story was brought to the attention of BBC Wales in March when Professor Donna Mead - head of the School of Care Sciences at the University of Glamorgan - said she received a letter from the assembly government telling her to recruit only 80% of her usual intake.

Responding to the latest news, Richard Jones, interim director of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said he was "very concerned".

He said there had been rumours in the past that nurse training places were being cut by 20%, but there were assurances from the assembly that the number of recruits would stay the same.

In a press release published in April, Health Minister Jane Hutt said she was on course to meet the staff target set for NHS Wales by 2010, that there would be 54% more students in training in 2004 than there were in 1998.

A statement from the assembly government given to BBC Wales said :"There has been a tremendous increase in student training place numbers since the assembly began in 1999.

"This has, of course, led to more and more health professionals coming out of training and into work."

The spokesperson said the education and training budget had increased from £184.6m to £199.5m since last year - a rise of more than 8% - and an extra £3.7m of that had gone directly into nurse education this year.

That meant that there would be 54% more students in training in 2004 than there were in 1998.

"To meet the workforce plans of the trusts 1,230 nursing places have been commissioned this year and, in addition to this, trusts will be supported to bring back additional experienced nurses into the NHS through more return to practice initiatives," the statement continued.

"This will ensure that we are on target to create an extra 6,000 nurses by 2010."