Responding to a new analysis from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) showing a drop in the number of people studying to become nurses Caroline Waterfield, director of development and employment at NHS Employers, said:

“NHS leaders have been concerned about mental health and learning disability nurse training pipeline for some time, but these latest numbers suggest a much starker issue for the profession and the NHS' future workforce.

“This is a problem that we cannot afford to ignore. History shows us that whenever we have previously had seismic drops in overall training numbers from one year to the next – that are not linked to changes in service planning and delivery – this comes back to bite the sector in three to five year’s time and is not easily remedied.

“We know that the apprenticeship route has helped to support and grow overall nurse training numbers in many parts of the UK. This has offered many people a route into a professional career that they might have never thought was an option for them.

“Both the university courses and nurse degree apprenticeship training are needed to ensure we have the right number of professionals to deliver care into the future. The NHS is facing rising demand and it is vital we have the workforce needed to address this.”