Closed petition Require student nurses/midwives be paid the same as a HCA whilst on placement

Closed on 4 February 2022

Supervised training or not, student nurses/midwives are working 37.5 hours p/w UNPAID as part of placement, asked to carry out similar duties to a healthcare assistant.

In addition, days are allocated to learning in university. How and where are the hours available to make enough of a living and a life?

Student nurses/midwives are classed as supernumerary, being the reason as to why they aren’t paid. There is no logic behind this. Students essentially give up their lives for upwards of 3 years to support the NHS, through full time placements, study time, part time work to make ends meet for themselves and their families, with mass student debts at the end of it all. The £5000 grant, although a good gesture, is simply not enough to survive on. Why is earning whilst learning not a more accessible option?