Submitted by Kylie McKay on Friday 3rd April 2026
Published on Tuesday 5th May 2026
Current status: Open
Open until: Thursday 5th November 2026
Current Signatures: 23
(count is updated approximately hourly)
Relevant Departments
Tagged with
Debt ~ Education ~ fund ~ inequality ~ NHS ~ Nurses ~ Recruitment ~ Scheme ~ Staying ~ student loans ~ The NHS
Write off student loans for nurses trained after 2016
Since the NHS Bursary was removed in 2016, nursing students have taken on significant student debt. We believe this creates inequality & may discourage people entering or staying in the profession – writing off this debt would support recruitment, improve retention & recognise nurses’ contribution.
In 2016, the NHS Bursary Scheme was removed, leaving nursing students to fund their education through loans. We feel this has created inequality between nurses trained before and after 2016, and, with ongoing NHS staffing shortages, may discourage people from entering or staying in the profession. We believe writing off this debt would support recruitment, improve retention, and recognise the vital role nurses play.
If you want to sign this petition (as opposed to merely discuss it), you need to do that on the government's e-Petitions website.
216.73.217.179 Tue, 23 Jun 2026 12:41:11 +0100