THE number of nurses entering education in Wales is falling, the latest figures from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) shows, with warnings from nursing unions that people are being put off the profession by poor pay and conditions.

Figures from UCAS released last week show a 22 per cent drop in the number of nurses entering education in Wales in 2022, compared to the year before. 

Helen Whyley, RCN Wales Director, said: “This is massively disappointing. “With 3,000 registered nurse vacancies in the NHS in Wales, service demands ever increasing and the quality and safety of patient care at risk, Wales simply cannot afford to see a drop in nursing student application and acceptance rates. 

“Clearly, people in Wales are seeing the pressure that the nursing profession is under – and the poor pay and benefits that nursing staff receive in return for the safety critical work that they do – and are choosing not to enter into the profession. 

“The Welsh government must ensure that nursing is seen as a rewarding profession, and it needs to significantly increase the 2022 pay award now.”

The figures from UCAS also show a fall across the UK, with 29,440 accepted applicants onto nursing courses in 2022.

That figure represents a fall of 3,265 (10 per cent) from 2021 when 32,705 applicants were accepted across all UK institutions.

In Wales - where Aberystwyth University welcomed its first cohort to a new nursing school in September with ambitions to grow the number studying nursing degrees in the country - 1,315 people began nursing courses in 2022, compared to 1,690 in 2021 - a fall of 22 per cent.