Student nurses are being forced to use food banks due to inadequate financial support during their studies, the 2025 Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Congress has heard.
Natasha Green, a final-year adult student nurse and RCN students committee chair, proposed a motion to congress that the union lobbies the governments of the four UK nations to commit to a “review” of financial support for students.
“This pressure is leading to financial, physical and psychological burnout before we’ve even graduated”
Natasha Green
Ms Green read testimonies from other nurses and nursing students, which demonstrated the impact of financial pressures and the lengths they were going to make ends meet.
One student, Ms Green said, worked a night shift as a healthcare support worker immediately after finishing a placement shift that day.
In another case, a former student said they had never finished the course because they “couldn’t afford to live”.
Ms Green told congress that the high number of hours some students are working, on top of placements and academic work, was taking a toll on the next generation of nurses.
“This pressure is leading to financial, physical and psychological burnout before we’ve even graduated,” she said.
She criticised the means testing system for maintenance loans, which takes into account household or parental outcome for students.
Ms Green said this “should not be the case”, echoing similar calls made by RCN Wales earlier this week.
She added: “Student nurses committing their time and dedication to this essential profession, should not need to visit food banks, request hardship funds or get themselves into credit card debt and bank debt just to make ends meet.
“They are the future generation of nurses. They should be funded fairly, in a way that meets the cost of living crisis.”
“I can’t believe I’m sending students lists of food banks”
Annette Davies
Adult nurse and university lecturer Annette Davies told congress that some of her students had been going without meals, relying on food banks and overworking themselves outside of placements due to a lack of financial support.
“I love my students,” she said. “Every day I go into work because I love teaching them.
“We are in a situation that I never thought we’d be in. 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.”
She said that a student of hers had, at one point, not eaten for two days, having forgone meals in order to ensure her 14-year-old son was fed.
Other students and nurses working in education further told congress about the extent of the problem, many of them calling on the four governments of the UK to increase the amount of support available.
Paul Irving, a nurse and member of RCN’s education committee, said that “without addressing financial barriers that nursing students face, we cannot hope to reach the [government’s] workforce targets”.
“The financial support available to nursing students is not just a matter of fairness, it is essential for safeguarding our future for the healthcare system,” he added.
Ms Green’s motion was overwhelmingly carried by congress.
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