Huge fall in Nursing applicants on UCAS

UCAS figures released at the beginning of February 2023 showed a shocking decline in the number of applicants to nursing courses in England.

To put this report in to context, there are currently a record 47,000 nursing vacancies in England, where 27,370 applications have been made this year. RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, Pat Cullen, said:

“These figures are damning for the government. Not only are they losing a record number of experienced nurses from the NHS but they are compounding the problem by deterring the next generation.

“With tens of thousands of unfilled nurse jobs across the country, ministers should urgently consider a set of measures to turn this situation around. Nursing staff, today’s and tomorrow’s alike, need to know they are valued and that starts with fair pay.

“A sharp drop in mature student applicants to nursing courses across the UK is deeply concerning too.

“During the pandemic, people were drawn to apply to study nursing by the professionalism that was showcased. These figures show that has been reversed entirely. Ultimately, it is patient care that will continue to suffer.”

This latest blow follows a string of strike dates starting back in December in England, Wales and Northern Ireland where nurses staged their biggest walkout in a dispute over pay. Strike action has since been halted as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has agreed to enter into formal and immediate pay negotiations with the RCN.

She went on to describe the fall in nursing degree applications as “deeply concerning” for the profession’s future. “During the pandemic, people were drawn to apply to study nursing by the professionalism that was showcased,” she added. “These figures show that has been reversed entirely. Ultimately, it is patient care that will continue to suffer.”

The Department of Health and Social Care don't seem to be as concerned with the drop in applicants saying “We know the number of applicants was exceptionally high during the pandemic but there continues to be strong interest in nursing and midwifery careers, with applications above 2019 levels.

“For the third consecutive year, we have seen over 26,000 acceptances to undergraduate nursing and midwifery programmes and in 2022 there were 3,700 more acceptances compared to 2019 – a 16% increase.”

However, UCAS Chief Executive Clare Marchant has explained that demand for undergraduate courses during Covid-19 was unprecedented and so a slight recalibration in the number of applicants might be expected, particularly for courses related to nursing and healthcare. She added that students were inspired by the pandemic to pursue these professions and that they are now seeing an increased interest in subjects which students perceive to have good career prospects, such as computing and law.

‍

‍