‘I slept in my car just to attend classes': Inside the financial hardship faced by student nurses at university
Student nurses are being forced to sleep in their cars and go to food banks due to a lack of financial support, the government has been told.
Financial hardship is forcing nurses into 'devastating' situations while studying and, as graduates also struggle to get jobs after university, according to the Royal College of Nursing.
The nurses' union said the situation was 'disgusting' and has written to health secretary Wes Streeting and education secretary Bridgette Phillipson, calling for better financial support for student nurses.
RCN general secretary and chief executive professor Nicola Ranger said:'Your nurse education should be about fulfilling your potential, but instead many of our students are saddled with debt, whilst poor financial support drives them into poverty. To make matters worse, more and more say they are unable to secure a job when they qualify and at a time when there are widespread vacancies. It's disgusting and a tragedy for patients.'
'It was the lowest point in my life'
One nurse in the West Midlands, Jess Dodds, 29, revealed she was homeless during her first year of university and had to sleep in her car for a week just to attend classes.
She told The Independent: 'It was the lowest point in my life, I was away from home from, my parents, trying to make something of myself, yet I felt that I had nothing and I did not want to worry any of my family members back up north of my situation, I pretended everything was fine.
'I was embarrassed and ashamed that I had nowhere to go and call my own. After university, I would find somewhere cheap to eat or sometimes have nothing at all, then find somewhere to park and sleep for the night, whether that was in the university car park or a nearby industrial estate.
She said: 'I would not sleep much because of fear someone would see me or call the police. Before university I would freshen up at a local gym or at the university toilets ready to start my day and repeat for some time until I found permanent accommodation.'
Ms Dodds said as a result of her financial position her studies were impacted as if she was not able to connect to Wifi she would have to catch up before class.
Reforms to the nursing bursary by the government in 2017 saw the removal of maintenance grants for student nurses to support living costs, worth at least £1,000 a year. The total value of the bursaries, no longer in existence, was up to £16,454 a year.
In January 2024 the number of applicants to UK nursing degrees dropped to 31,100, from 45,090 in January 2017.
'If the bursary had not been cut, it would have allowed me to have more money available so I could have rented somewhere quicker rather than having to wait a while to save up the bond and deposit money. I felt let down by the system, especially with the type of profession I am studying for. I can only hope that no other student has to experience homelessness and lack of security,' Ms Dodds added.
The situation for some is forcing students to use food banks and lectures having to offer to buy them food, according to the RCN.
Annette Davies, a nurse and university lecturer, said: 'I can't believe I'm sending students lists of food banks where they can get food. I shouldn't be doing that, that's not right.'
'I have a colleague who, the other week, bought one of the students sandwiches. She had no food. She's got a 14-year-old son at home. We gave her money out of our pockets. We shouldn't be doing that, but what else were we to do?'
The warning comes a year after health secretary Wes Streeting settled a pay dispute with nurses. However, warnings have come that the government could see new strikes over pay this year.
According to the RCN, applications to nursing courses in 2021 have 'collapsed' by 35 per cent, while a survey from the union last year revealed seven in ten students were considering quitting due to financial difficulties.
Meanwhile the RCN has warned nurses have reported difficulties finding jobs after graduation as the NHS seeks to cut down on its agency staff.
A government spokesperson said: 'These reports are shocking and deeply saddening. They are a shameful marker of the broken NHS we inherited and our overworked, undervalued and demoralised workforce.
'We hugely value our student nurses, and we are supporting them with a grant of £5,000 per academic year, on top of maintenance and tuition fee loans.
'Through our Plan for Change, we are rebuilding our NHS for the benefit of patients and staff, and ensuring nursing remains an attractive career choice.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
27 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
This £20 dermatologist-approved sheet mask is leaving users with a 'gorgeous glow' - here's where to get yours
A £20 treatment sheet mask designed by an experienced clinician and GP specialising in Dermatology for over 20 years is wowing users with its glow-inducing abilities. Decree is the doctor-led skincare brand that scores of shoppers are investing in for incredible skin. The £20 Decree SOS Revitalising Sheet Mask in particular, is a winner for restoring barrier hydration and boosting skin radiance. Providing 'instant' comfort, it could be a winner for pre-event prep this summer. £20 Developed to instantly calm, nourish and hydrate through a rose water based, active ingredient packed formulation, this mask has become a soothing must-have for stressed skin. With rose water to hydrate and condition, glycerin to plump and niacinamide to brighten, it's perfect for refreshing the skin ahead of a special event. Shop Decree Preparatory Mist £59 The new Decree Preparatory Mist is described as a 'next-generation hydrating mist toner' that blends the brand's 'signature ritual of care with cutting-edge science'. With 100 per cent of participants agreeing that skin is more radiant and smoother after use, it's fast becoming a poolside staple to top up skin hydration throughout the day - not to mention a great carry-on for long-haul flights to keep skin balanced and quenched as you're in the air. Its powered by Ectoin, a natural molecule that hydrates, protects against environmental stress, and supports skin repair. Blended with rose water, aloe vera, hyaluronic acid, and antioxidants, it soothes, hydrates, and primes the skin for better absorption of follow-up products. Shop When it comes to investing in skincare, it pays to avoid trend-led gimmicks in favour of proven ingredients in formulations based on clinical experience with a strong focus on efficacy. And that's where Decree can help up your skincare game. Created by Dr Anita Sturnham, an experienced clinician and GP specialising in Dermatology, the brand focuses on using active levels of ingredients that have been clinically proven to create change at a cellular level in the skin. Dermatologically tested, the Decree SOS Revitalising Mask sits alongside the existing core and is designed to provide instant comfort, for even the most sensitive of skin. Delivering 'gorgeous' skin, whether you pop one on before a big event or as part of your nighttime skincare routine, the Decree SOS Revitalising Sheet Mask has gained impressive reviews thanks to its soothing, plumping results. If you've had a few too many late nights and your skin is looking dull and dehydrated, then a sheet mask could be a valuable step in your routine. Traditionally, sheet masks are soaked in a serum that's rich in hydrating ingredients, helping to promote deeper absorption and longer-lasting moisture. The Decree SOS Sheet Mask is no exception, developed to instantly calm, nourish and hydrate through a rose water-based, active ingredient packed formulation. This is all delivered via a coconut fibre bio-cellulose mask which is renowned for carrying the product deep into the skin. With rose water to hydrate and condition, glycerin to plump and niacinamide to brighten, it's perfect for refreshing the skin ahead of a special event. Better still, the SOS Revitalising Sheet Mask gets to work fast. Quick and convenient to use, delivering results in just 15 minutes users of the mask have said it's 'love at first use'. 'Whenever my skin is feeling dull through lack of sleep, had a night out or skin is feeling generally in bad condition I use this mask and it instantly revitalises my face' raved one impressed shopper. Dermatologically tested, the carefully formulated Decree SOS Revitalising Mask is used by Dr Anita J Sturnham in her clinic to provide instant comfort, for even the most sensitive of skins. And shoppers have been reaping these benefits from the comfort of their homes. 'Face looks so nice and healthy after' wrote one shopper with a third adding 'so soothing and lovely on the skin. Perfect for use after a peel'.
Daily Mail
38 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Urgent 'do not eat' warning issued for popular sweets due to cancer fears
Officials have issued an urgent recall for a number of popular Jolly Rancher sweets over fears they contain ingredients linked to cancer. Those who've already eaten them should not panic, the Food Standards Agency has warned, as the risk is low, but they should be disposed of. These include Hard Candy, 'Misfits' Gummies. Hard Candy Fruity 2 in 1, and Berry Gummies, all made by the Hershey company. The sweets contain the harmful chemicals Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons (MOAH) and Mineral Oil Saturated Hydrocarbon (MOSH). These chemicals from crude oil have been linked to serious illness including cancer, particularly in the liver and lymph nodes. This makes the sweets unsafe to eat, particularly over long periods of time, and not compliant with UK law. American multi-national firm Hershey has taken action to remove them from the UK market. But other the sweets are still on some shelves as other businesses continue to import them to the UK. The alert urges these businesses to stop importing and selling the sweets to consumers, and tells customers not to buy or eat them.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
My wife's life was dedicated to finding a dementia cure. Then at 50 she was diagnosed with it
In 2023, my wife, Carol, and I renewed our wedding vows as part of a campaign for the Alzheimer's Society. She had lost the ability to speak by then, after living with the disease for more than a decade, yet she opened her eyes and her mouth puckered up when I leant over to kiss her. Our marriage lasted nearly 45 years until Carol's death, and for 12 of those I was her carer. People assume that was a sacrifice for me, but the opposite is true – looking after her was the greatest privilege. The first time we exchanged vows was in 1979. She was a primary school teacher and I worked at a university – later I would go on to be a clergyman and historical author. Carol was warm, confident and headstrong, with her shining eyes. In the same year that our daughter Emily was born, Carol's lovely father, Walter, became unwell with shingles and never seemed to recover. A year later, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, at 58. In the next two years, so had four of his siblings – Carol's aunts and uncles – who were only in their 50s. At that time, doctors believed Alzheimer's was purely an illness of the unfortunate elderly, and genetics wasn't thought to play any part. When our second child, John, arrived three years later, we were overjoyed. The only cloud on the horizon was Carol's conviction that there was a genetic connection to her family and Alzheimer's. She refused to let it go, and in 1986, she responded to an advertisement that was placed in an Alzheimer's Society newsletter, from researchers at University College London (UCL) who were studying the disease and looking for families with two or more members affected by Alzheimer's. Sure enough, Carol was proved right. By 1991, those UCL scientists had identified a gene that all her affected family members shared. It's arguably the most important breakthrough made in the history of this disease, and galvanised researchers to target the causes of dementia rather than just treating the symptoms. Instead of falling apart, Carol committed to supporting research into the disease and co-ordinated her family members to take part too. Every year, she travelled from our Midlands home to London for MRI scans, blood tests and cognitive testing. And over the course of her doing this for decades, scientists were able to identify the first known genetic cause of the disease, in research part-funded by Alzheimer's Society: a mutation to the amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene which caused too much amyloid protein to build up in the brain, clumping together to form plaques and resulting in brain cells dying. Although Carol was offered a test to see if she had the gene, she chose not to. 'Well, if there's no treatment that can stop it, or even slow it down yet, then what's the point?' she'd say. 'I could get run over by a bus tomorrow, I've got a good life and I'd rather not know whether it's going to be shorter than I'd hoped for.' Carol always looked on the bright side. As I was a Methodist church minister, our family moved parishes every few years and Carol had always been brilliant at organising the upheaval. Yet, around the age of 50, she suddenly became more overwhelmed with the packing: she was more forgetful, and it distressed her. Our children, by then grown up, noticed she had stopped phoning them as much and asking them about their lives. Just before Christmas in 2012, Carol was diagnosed with 'mild cognitive impairment'. We all knew what it meant. And the doctors knew our family well by then. She sat calmly listening as this dreaded news was delivered. It was me who broke down in tears; I'd always imagined it would be the other way round. The following months were hard for Carol. She would wake up crying some nights, knowing precisely the future awaiting her. Her whole raison d'etre for years had been to drive forward the search for a cure, but overnight it had morphed into learning to cope as someone living with dementia. She was determined to carry on giving herself to the research, even though the lumbar punctures weren't nice. 'Well, I've come this far,' she would say. Knowing that our children both had a 50-50 chance of developing Alzheimer's in the future, Carol longed for a cure or drug to at least slow the disease's progression. 'If not in time for me, then for the next generation,' she said. My role became to support Carol as best I could, to help soothe all the anxieties that are ramped up with Alzheimer's. While she was in the milder, earlier stages of dementia, Carol and I shared those difficult conversations about the future. We both knew it was important to sort out our finances and get power of attorney in place. We also talked about what would happen as the disease progressed. We wanted to keep her at home as long as possible, though she hated the idea of losing her dignity and wanted me to get help when the time came to look after the more personal care: washing and using the loo. Living through a loved one's Alzheimer's decline has been likened to watching a sandcastle. Little bits of sand trickle away gradually and often imperceptibly, but there are also times when unexpectedly larger chunks fall off the castle because of this gradual consistent trickle. This is exactly how it felt as she transitioned from early dementia to the later stages. We were lucky enough to have had incredible support from our GP, social workers, care agency staff and Admiral nurses, when the time came for back-up. And of course, the love and support of our children, John and Emily, and Emily's daughter, Eleanor, who would come and stroke her granny's hand. Emily and John face the dilemma of whether to undergo genetic testing, which they will do one day, when they are ready. The doctors have all Carol's scans over the years showing the increasingly dark spaces that overtook her brain as the disease took hold. John has looked at all these with the doctor, but I can't bear to. Instead, I prefer to look at the memory book I would pore over many times with Carol – all our happy photographs from the sum of a wonderful life. During the pandemic, Carol lost the ability to walk, or negotiate stairs and struggled to feed herself. Then from 2021 her condition escalated at a frightening pace as she started having major seizures that robbed her of any mobility – incontinence became an issue – and eventually ended any speech, apart from the occasional yes and no. I'd hug her, kiss her head and hold her hand to feel close to her. Of course there were challenging times when I'd need to leave the room to take a moment. But while our love changed shape, it never left us. I didn't see the disease; I still saw Carol as the woman I loved up until the day she drew her last breath last March. Because Carol had continued to be so involved at the Dementia Research Centre, I had promised I would ensure her brain was donated to medical research, come what may. As Christians it seemed a particularly fitting day to die on Good Friday, but it proved an extra practical challenge getting urgent refrigeration on a bank holiday. I made sure it happened though – I couldn't have let her down on her final wish. Alzheimer's Society uses the forget-me-not as its emblem, and I planted these pretty blue flowers in our garden. They blossomed just before Carol died. She was 70. Thanks to Carol and all the dedicated scientists working in this sphere, I'm optimistic we will be able to test for Alzheimer's much sooner and have drugs available to slow the disease down. There is still progress to be made, but I take great comfort in the fact that Carol contributed so much to this fight. As told to Susanna Galton
