Education Secretary urged to intervene after loan blunders hit student nurses

THE EDUCATION Secretary has been urged to intervene after student nurses at a string of universities had their loans and grants cut off or reduced due to administrative errors.

More than 800 people have been told they were paid too much money by the Student Loans Company (SLC) and were informed upcoming payments will be reduced or stopped to recover the sums, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) said.

The University of Leeds is one of the 20 universities across the country to have been affected.

Trade unions and professional bodies, including UNISON, the RCN and the National Union of Students (NUS), have called on Damian Hinds in a letter to “urgently intervene” to make sure people receive the financial support they budgeted for next term.

The letter said: “We are writing to ask you to take urgent action to ensure healthcare students in England and Wales affected by errors made by the SLC will receive their anticipated payment of support in spring, as they had budgeted for.

“We also ask that you use the power at your discretion as Education Secretary to write off overpayments in the long term for these students.”

The letter adds: “Our student members are telling us that the risk of receiving a reduced payment, or no payment at all, will compromise their ability to continue studying.”

Coordinated by the RCN, it was signed by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, NUS, Royal College of Midwives, Royal College of Occupational Therapists, Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, Society of Radiographers, the College of Podiatry and UNISON. A Department for Education spokeswoman said: “We have been clear that none of the affected student nurses should suffer hardship as a result of this error. We have been working with the Student Loans Company to ensure students have the support they need and will shortly provide details on specific initiatives to help them.”