In a speech today to the Policy Exchange, Minister for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock outlined new funding for pre-registration occupational therapy students in England.
From September next year students training to be occupational therapists at English universities will receive up to £8,000 with a minimum of £5,000 a year in funding. The government is describing this as a ‘new universal offer’.
The funding will be available to all new and continuing occupational therapy students, as well as degree-level nursing, midwifery and other allied health students, in England. The Royal College of Occupational Therapists has been calling for active measures to ensure future capacity within the occupational therapy workforce and welcomes the proposal. We look forward to receiving further details from the Government in early 2020.
The announcement highlighted that:
All occupational therapy students in England will receive at least £5,000 a year with up to £3,000 further funding available for:
- Specialist disciplines that struggle to recruit including mental health.
- An additional childcare allowance to help them balance their studies with family life, on top of the £1,000 already on offer.
- Areas of the country which have seen a decrease in people accepted onto some nursing, midwifery and allied health courses over the past year.
This means that some students could be eligible for up to £8,000 in total support per year with everyone getting at least £5,000.
The new package will supplement existing support available to pre-registration undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students from the Department of Health and Social Care, including travel and accommodation costs for clinical placements, funding for students facing financial hardship and childcare support. The measures will be part of the upcoming NHS People Plan which will set out work to reduce vacancies across the NHS and secure the staff needed for the future.