Written question WQ84352
- Asked by
- Janet Finch-SaundersConservative
- To be answered by
- Minister for Health and Social Services
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 6 days
Question
Will the Minister make a statement on the actions taken by the Welsh Government to provide financial support to mature medical students to overcome the rising cost of living?
Answer
Answered by Minister for Health and Social Services
The Welsh Government is committed to investing in the training of our NHS workforce to attract the very best health professionals in Wales. We fund a range of education and training opportunities for Health Education Courses through our NHS Wales Bursary Scheme. The Scheme is however, limited to students who have been offered places on certain courses.
The Bursary Scheme pays the student’s tuition fees and they can apply for assistance towards their living costs (a non-means-tested £1,000 grant and a means-tested Bursary up to £2,643 per year), including additional support if they have dependents. Students also have access to Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) if they have a mental health problem, long term illness or any other disability. The NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership provides further information about the NHS Wales Bursary for Medical and Dental Students.
Eligible medical students can apply for our generous statutory student support package from Student Finance Wales (SFW) to assist with their costs. Students can also apply for grants for dependants and DSAs from SFW during the years of study in which NHS Wales Bursary support is not provided. The Student Finance Wales website provides further information about student support rates for academic years 2021/22 and 2022/23.
In addition, the Welsh Government Learning Grant (WGLG) is available to help students with their living costs. The amount of grant received is dependent on household income, but most full-time students will get a grant of at least £1,000.
For those studying a five year undergraduate medical degree as a second degree, tuition fees would need to be self-funded by the student for the first four years; they can, however, still apply for a maintenance loan from SFW. In year five medical students will be eligible for support from the NHS Wales Bursary Scheme for living costs and tuition fee support; they can also apply for a reduced rate maintenance loan from SFW.
Universities may also offer their own bursaries and discretionary funding to support students; they would need to apply directly to their university.
The Welsh Government is currently undertaking a review of the NHS Bursary Scheme in its current format.