Support for Nursing and Midwifery Students in Scotland 2012/13

Support for NHS employees who enter nursing and midwifery education

Healthcare assistants who have undertaken an HNC in Healthcare and are entering year 2 of a pre-registration nursing or midwifery course.

Healthcare assistants entering year 2 of the pre-registration programme after successfully completing an HNC in Healthcare may be offered the option of secondment from their NHS employers or they may apply for bursary support.

You may not receive your salary and a bursary at the same time. If you opt to take your salary, and subsequently wish to apply for a bursary, you may not do so until the next year of the course. You may not change your support arrangements during the year.

Secondment

NHS employers may allow staff a period of secondment to undertake a nursing or midwifery course on the basis of their existing pay and conditions. In these cases, you will not be able to apply for bursary support.
Your employer must decide whether to allow a secondment and employees do not have a right to secondment on these terms. If your employer is unable to agree to secondment, you may choose to resign in order to undertake the course. In this case, you will be eligible for a bursary. These arrangements and conditions also apply to existing enrolled nurses who wish to convert to Part 1 of the Register (enrolled nurse conversion).

If you are a full-time employee seconded by an NHS Board you should:

• receive the basic pay for the post held immediately before start of training, and qualify for increments;
• keep your existing liability for tax and National Insurance;
• be eligible to join or remain in the NHS Superannuation and Injury Benefits Schemes;
• keep your existing rights under Agenda for Change Terms and Conditions of Services, with modifications to reflect your student status, e.g. annual leave; and
• be expected to undergo exactly the same educational programmes as other students. (You will not be expected to provide a higher rostered service contribution.)

You and your employer should also have a clear agreement about:

• whether or not you will be expected to work, or be given the opportunity to work, for your employer as a qualified nurse or midwife on completion of the course;
• how long you will be expected to do such work; and
• what will happen if you fail to complete the course.

Your employer must meet your travel and subsistence expenditure during practice placements.

Part-time employees seconded by an NHS Board

Part-time employees seconded to nursing courses should not suffer financially. Again, it is for your employer to decide whether you should be seconded on your existing part‑time salary, or an enhanced salary, to take account of the fact that the nursing and midwifery courses are full time.

Enrolled nurse conversion programmes

The Scottish Government Health Directorates fund tuition fees for a limited number of places on enrolled nurse conversion programmes. If you do not obtain a funded place on the course, you may be asked to pay your own fees, even though you may receive a bursary. Before you begin one of these courses, you should ask the Institution to confirm whether or not you will be offered one of the SGHD-funded places.