Facing financial hardship head-on

In the second of a two-part series on managing finances, Lynne Pearce highlights the support available to nursing students with seemingly unmanageable debt.

Debt solutions are wide and variable, ranging from cutting interest costs and budgeting to obtaining free, independent and expert help.

The Money Advice Service (MAS) suggests dividing any debts into priority and non-priority and earmarking funds to pay the former first.

Priority debts are those that carry the most serious consequences if they remain unpaid, such as losing your home or being made bankrupt. These could be debts related to a mortgage or rent, income tax, national insurance, council tax, gas and electricity bills, child maintenance or court fines.

Seek expert help

Although non-priority