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Campaign and bursaries aim to attract nursing students to Wales

New campaign promotes Wales as a place for nurses to train, work and live. 
Charlotte Pritchard

A major new campaign promoting Wales as a place for nurses to train, work and live has launched today.


Newly qualified nurse Charlotte Pritchard

The initiative coincides with the Labour-controlled Welsh government announcing that NHS bursaries for eligible nursing students, midwives and allied health professionals will continue to be available in 2018-19.

To be eligible for the bursary, individuals will need to commit in advance to working in Wales for two years after qualifying.

'Great place to work'

Welsh health secretary Vaughan Gething said: ‘Wales is a great place to train, work and live. We value the professional judgement of nurses and want to attract more to come and experience what we have to offer.’

The UK government’s decision to axe bursaries from this September will only affect students training in England. Northern Ireland, Scotland, and now Wales, have committed to keeping them.

RCN Welsh board chair and council member for Wales Gaynor Jones said: 'Wales offers many lifestyle perks, including idyllic locations, affordable housing and bustling city settings. The country is also a leader in many facets of healthcare, including being the first country to introduce a law to protect nurse staffing levels on NHS wards.'

Bursary benefit

Charlotte Pritchard, newly qualified nurse at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, and face of the new recruitment campaign, said: 'Continuation of the nursing bursary in Wales is great news for the next generation of trainees.

'Living in Cardiff is the icing on the cake. I’ll always love the buzz of city life but it’s also easy for me to escape to beautiful countryside whenever I feel the need to unwind.

'When you’re a nurse, having this kind of balance can make a big difference. I wouldn’t swap living and working here for anything.'

A train, work, live campaign was launched in Wales for GPs last year, resulting in a 16% rise in junior doctors taking up places in the country.


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