The grant is one of the changes made to the NHS Bursary Scheme, following a three-year funding review by the Department of Health (DH).
Midwife teacher and RCM student services advisor Sue Jacob said while the new grant is welcome the overall level of funding is ‘disappointing’.
‘The RCM is delighted at the £1000 grant to all student midwives regardless of circumstances, and welcomes this,’ she said.
‘And whilst the RCM is disappointed at the level of student support, it recognises the need to cut the whole envelope for education and training of healthcare professionals.’
She added: ‘It is difficult to make like-for-like comparisons between the new scheme and the existing scheme, as student midwives are assessed on individual circumstances.’
The changes to the scheme will affect those commencing programmes in September 2012, while existing students will remain on the current scheme.
The new scheme will provide students with:
• A non-means tested grant of £1000
• A maximum means tested bursary of up to £4395 (out of London) and £5460 (in London)
• Reduced rate non-means tested loan of £2,324 (out of London) and £3,263 (in London)
• The maintenance loan is reduced in the final year of study.
As with the current arrangements, students can apply for additional benefits if they meet the specific criteria, for example, there are allowances for students with dependent adults and children.
Students can also claim help with travel costs to their placements, if they have incurred additional costs to those when they are at university. The DH will continue to pay the tuition fees of non-medical students.
Further details about the changes to NHS student support and the new bursary scheme are available
here.
