Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2024 to Question 2899 on Nurses: Training, what steps he is taking to promote the merits of nursing as a career.

To remove the barriers to training in clinical roles, eligible students receive a non-repayable grant of £5,000 a year, with additional incentives for priority specialisms, such as mental health nursing.

The National Health Service has a long-established campaign process for promoting NHS careers, including nursing, both locally and nationally. NHS Health Careers, as part of NHS England, provides support to people in education and at different stages of their career, to learn more about all the career opportunities available in the NHS.

NHS England is expanding routes into healthcare professions through apprenticeships and blended learning programmes, allowing students to choose to study in a flexible way that reflects their needs.

To ensure nursing remains an attractive career, the Government will also make sure that staff are treated with the respect they deserve, improve their working conditions, and reform the way they deliver care.