‘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.”