BMA criticises decision to scrap nursing student bursaries

The British Medical Association (BMA) has strongly criticised the government's decision to scrap NHS bursaries for nursing students, despite the association's warnings.

It has been confirmed that bursary grants for students taking nursing, midwifery and allied health courses will be removed from August 1st 2017, following an announcement in Parliament last week.

This will apply only to students in England, meaning grants for course fees and living costs currently paid by Health Education England will be replaced by student loans. Additional support will be offered to students with dependents, with payments towards travel and accommodation offered in the form of a non-repayable grant.

Although health minister Philip Dunne said the reforms will mean the majority of students would have access to greater funding, the BMA said it is "fundamentally opposed" to the removal of bursaries, as it could potentially harm recruitment efforts.

A statement from the BMA said: "The NHS is currently facing a staffing shortage of about 50,000 and we do not believe that further cuts to funding will in any way lead to more healthcare professionals joining the service."