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Student experience - the case for change

August 2008

In a new jointly published report, 'Student experience - the case for change', the Medical Students Committee along with other Trade Unions highlight the many challenges facing health students today, and provide a blueprint for ensuring that those studying are kept out of poverty.

For the last two years we have worked in partnership with the Department of Health (England) to review the NHS Bursary. As the Modernisation of the NHS Bursary Review Group, and in conjunction with the Business Services Authority (BSA) and the Student Grant Unit (SGU) we have together achieved a number of successful changes which have, in part, helped to improve the student journey.

Given that workforce size is dependant on the numbers of ‘new’ graduates joining the profession, and that international recruitment is currently off the policy agenda, it is crucial that the NHS can attract, and retain, an even more diverse group of students into pre-registration education. In other words, attract the school leaver, the academically able, the older candidate, and those without formal qualifications – regardless of family background; and then support them through to registration.

Despite exiting figures for all healthcare courses not being available; it is still quite clear that attrition rates for NHS funded students are currently at high levels and in some professions unacceptably so.

This, coupled with the deterrent effect of student debt, will have a major impact on the number and profile of students graduating into the healthcare professions.

This paper highlights the three main areas that this group feels need to be addressed as a matter of urgency:

• Basic funding
• Travel allowance
• Childcare

Download the full report in PDF format by using the link on the right.