Clwyd West MS Darren Millar has today called on the Health Minister to respond to concerns that third year student nurses in Wales are not being compensated for the hours they are working for the NHS during the pandemic.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council recently announced that it was reintroducing emergency standards to allow final year student nurses to undertake a paid clinical placement for up to 100% of their programme, amid the latest spike of Covid-19.

However, whilst nurses in England are now benefitting, Wales has decided that, at present, their final year students will continue on their courses and placements as usual and will not be offered paid placements.

Raising the matter during today’s Business Statement in the Welsh Parliament, Darren said:  

“Can I call for a statement from the Minister for Health and Social Services regarding the compensation available for third-year student nurse placements?

“I was contacted by a student nurse this week who tells me that student nurses in England are being paid for the placement hours that they complete under the new emergency standard measures that have now been introduced during the pandemic. But she and her colleagues in Wales have been told in a letter from the Chief Nursing Officer for Wales that students here will not be paid for their placements.

“This obviously seems to be quite unfair for those students here in Wales who feel that they are now disadvantaged compared to their peers. Can I ask for a statement on this particular issue in order that the student nurse workforce that we are going to be so reliant on during the pandemic and, indeed, in the future, is given proper compensation for the work they are putting in?”

The Trefnydd, Rebecca Evans MS, told Darren she would ask the Minister for Health and Social Services to provide a written response to his query.