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Student Nurse Bursaries May Be Stopped Under Plans Considered By George Osborne

George Osborne Is Considering Axing Student Nurses' Bursaries
Chris York

George Osborne is considering axing student nurses' bursaries.

Under plans which could be announced in the Chancellor's spending review next Wednesday, those studying would have to take out loans to pay their fees, reports the Guardian.

The move could free up £826 million.

Janet Davies, general secretary and chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing, said: "Anything that makes people worse off and puts people off from becoming nurses, and reduces the link between student nurses and the NHS, would be a big loss to our society and put us in a precarious position."

Axing bursaries would prove unpopular at a time when the Government are already under fire over junior doctor's contracts.

Thousands voted overwhelmingly in favour of strikes over the bitter row.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said 98% voted in favour of strikes, with 2% against and 11 spoilt ballot papers.

More than 37,000 doctors were balloted by the BMA, and 76% took part in the vote.

Asked if they were prepared to take part in industrial action short of a strike, 28,120 (99.4% of the vote) said yes.

Asked if they were prepared to take part in strike action, 27,741 voted yes (98% of the vote) and 564 voted no (2%).

The BMA said it was still keen to avoid strike action and had approached the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) for talks with Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and NHS Employers, which is running negotiations for the Government.

If a strike goes ahead, doctors will take action over three days, providing emergency care only for 24 hours from 8am on December 1, followed by full walkouts from 8am to 5pm on December 8 and 16.

There is expected to be mass disruption to the NHS, with hospitals forced to cancel outpatient clinics and non-urgent operations.

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Here are six things you need to know about the changes, and the continuing furore...

6 Things To Know About Junior Doctor Contract Changes
Who are junior doctors?(01 of06)
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Junior doctors are those doctors who have graduated from medical school but who are yet to qualify as either a consultant or general practitioner.

Doctors are required to undertake five years of medical training and to graduate from accredited schools before entering what's known as a foundation period.

They are then required to work as juniors after the foundation period before ascending to consultant or GP status. This means many doctors do not fully qualify until well into their 30s. (credit:Stuart Gleave via Getty Images)
Why are their contracts changing?(02 of06)
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Demands upon the NHS are increasing, and at the same time, the government wants to move towards a seven-day, out-of-hours health service.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt says planned contract changes will make healthcare more flexible, and more able to adapt to changing levels of demand.

He has denied the charge that the contracts are specifically designed to lower the wage bill of doctors who'll be forced to work 'out of hours' for no extra pay. (credit:Stuart Gleave via Getty Images)
Why are people unhappy?(03 of06)
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Junior doctors are unhappy at the proposed contract's potential effect on safe working hours.

They say that introducing new shift patterns and broadening normal working days to include hours up to 10pm may have the effect of increasing tiredness amongst medics.

The new contracts may impinge on doctors' work-life balance, reduce time spent with their families, and may increase work-related stress. These may affect patient care, some argue.

Dr Shebby Kamalvand wrote of the hypocrisy of the proposals - the implication that doctors are worth less than they are paid now, but are required to work more flexibly to cope with increased demand.

The proposals may also make things less fair for those working less than full time and taking parental leave.

But most of all, the British Medical Association believes the threat of imposition to be entirely unacceptable -- a stumbling block so large it has halted negotiations entirely. (credit:Stuart Gleave via Getty Images)
What do they want?(04 of06)
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According to the British Medical Association, which represents junior doctors in negotiations, they want:
"The BMA wants the following concrete assurances in writing from the Government before we can agree to re-enter negotiations:

- Proper recognition of unsocial hours as premium time- No disadvantage for those working unsocial hours compared to current system- No disadvantage for those working less than full time and taking parental leave compared to the current system- Pay for all work done- Proper hours safeguards protecting patients and their doctors

The contract proposed by the Government rides roughshod over the best interests of doctors, of patients and of the NHS as a whole. Junior doctors have made it clear that they are not prepared to accept a contract that is unfair and unsafe."
 (credit:Stuart Gleave via Getty Images)
Will they get it?(05 of06)
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Negotiations are currently at an impasse, with both NHS Employers, which acts on behalf of government, and representatives of junior doctors refusing to budge on the threat of imposition.

A staged introduction of the new changes could take effect whereby those joining the profession are subject to the new conditions.

However, this may do little to tackle the dire recruitment and retention of junior doctors after the foundation period.

Jeremy Hunt is likely to move forward in a way which brings junior doctors back around the negotiating table. (credit:Stuart Gleave via Getty Images)
And what if they don't?(06 of06)
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But there are signs of what will happen should Mr Hunt refuse to yield to doctors' demands.

Members of his own party have highlighted cases of doctors emigrating from the UK to work as doctors elsewhere. Dr Sarah Wollaston, now a Tory MP and chair of the Commons Health Select Committee, says that her own daughter and eight of her doctor friends have left the UK for Australia.

And it doesn't look like they'll be alone in leaving Britain. The General Medical Council has received more applications for a Certificate of Currently Professional Status so far this year as it did in the whole of 2014. The Certificate is needed if doctors wish to practice medicine abroad.

In 2014, the GMC issued 4925 certificates. So far this year it has issued 7468, its latest figures reveal. (credit:shutterstock)
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