Plans to scrap university's nursing department 'on hold'

Plans to close Cardiff University's nursing department have been put on hold, as an "alternative plan" is considered.

An email to staff said the new proposal would mean teaching fewer undergraduates but adult, child and mental health nursing programmes would remain at the university.

In January, the university announced proposals to cut 400 staff and scrap some departments, including nursing.

The number has now been reduced to 286, with a number of staff having already opted for voluntary redundancy.

Prof Stephen Riley, pro vice-chancellor at the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, said in the email that the new plan for nursing was "good news for the public, patients and of course the future nursing workforce in Wales."

The email said an "alternative credible plan" had been put forward as part of discussions with staff, students, unions, health bodies and the Welsh government.

"The alternative proposes that we will teach smaller undergraduate nursing cohorts than currently, with the degree programmes reshaped to significantly enhance the teaching and learning experience offered to our students," it said.

"We would continue to offer adult, child and mental health nursing programmes for students from Wales and beyond."

The proposal to close the nursing school was met with protests by staff and students and concerns from unions and politicians that it could threaten the supply of nurses to the Welsh NHS.

Voluntary redundancy applications for the School of Healthcare Sciences would now be paused, the email said.

Dialogue with the NHS, Health Education and Improvement Wales and the Welsh government "on the proposal and its implications for the health workforce in Wales" would continue, Prof Riley said.

Vice Chancellor Wendy Larner told staff the university was now proposing to reduce staff numbers by 286, "rather than 400 we started with at the beginning of the consultation".

"We have had 81 staff apply for and be accepted for voluntary redundancy to date, meaning that alongside approved voluntary severance applications we are on course to make 114 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) reductions," she said.

She said the new proposal to keep nursing at the university was contingent on further discussions with the Welsh government and NHS bodies but she was "hopeful".

Prof Riley added the alternative proposal would focus heavily on the student experience and support provided throughout the degree.

"This should result in a higher proportion of students successfully graduating and moving into the Welsh NHS," he said.

"We will also seek to redevelop our postgraduate offering and maintain a research base for the profession in Wales.

"I recognise that this has been an extremely challenging couple of months for everyone. It has caused a huge amount of uncertainty and worry," he added, saying he hoped the new solution would bring reassurance while negotiations take place with stakeholders and unions.

Reacting to the revised cuts, Helen Whyley, director of the Royal College of Nursing in Wales, said the RCN was pleased the university was planning to continue providing nursing courses but disappointed it was in this position in the first place.

Ms Whyley said these measures could have been taken long before any consideration was made to close the school of nursing.

She said: "It's a slap in the face for the nursing profession that they didn't take the time and the opportunity to consider these issues before consulting with our members about potential closure of the school."

Ms Whyley added until she sees details of the proposals, it was "very difficult to be reassured of the future of nursing in the long term at Cardiff University".

Gareth Lloyd, Wales Official at UCU Cymru, said the statement from Cardiff University does not address the issue of compulsory redundancies.

He said it was disappointing that most staff targeted "remain in scope and suffer stress, anxiety and uncertainty caused by these proposals".

"These proposed cuts diminish opportunities for students at a time when Wales has the worst participation rates in the UK," said Mr Lloyd, adding: "Once more we call upon Cardiff to remove the threat of compulsory redundancies".

The Welsh government said it welcomed "continued engagement" between the university and wider stakeholders as well as the "proposal for the continuation of nursing education".

"It is important that a plan continues to be developed, which considers the needs of the sector and provides a credible and sustainable alternative for nursing provision in the region," it added.

The Welsh Conservatives said they embraced the partial scale back but raised concerns about the university's decision to pursue establishing a campus in Kazakhstan while making cuts to its Welsh campus.

The party's spokesperson for education, Natasha Asghar MS, said it would be a "national disgrace" if any cuts to essential courses go ahead while the university pushes ahead with its plans.

She said many staff and pupils will remain concerned that courses are still being cut and reduced and fears for the loss of essential courses across the country, which would have "devastating consequences" for the economy, communities, and public services.

Also reacting to the announcement, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, Plaid Cymru's spokesperson on health and care, said while it's reassuring to see steps being taken to save nursing placements, "serious questions remain regarding the proposal to reduce the number of students".

"Given the scale of the challenge that our NHS is facing, we shouldn't be seeing any cuts at all to nursing courses," she said.

"I urge the university to consider all options to ensure that we maintain the full complement of nursing placements."

Ms ap Gwynfor said the Welsh government "cannot shake off responsibility any longer" and must make clear what steps they're taking to ensure there are no reductions in placements to study nursing in Wales.

"This should be part of a wider national workforce plan to tackle the recruitment issues facing our NHS," she added.