The Royal College of Nursing has found that there have been more than ten times the number of severances and redundancies in the past two years than in the previous three years combined.
The crisis in higher education is a real threat to the supply of nurses in the workforce and poses a serious risk to patient safety, potentially derailing the government’s new NHS 10-Year Health Plan, says the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).
The professional body has found that nurse educator jobs in England decreased in 65% of institutions between August 2024 and February 2025.
In 2020/21, there were eight redundancies and severances in nursing departments. In 2024/25, however, this has risen to a new high of 103. In the past two academic years combined, there have been more than ten times the number of severances and redundancies than in the previous three years combined.
“This isn’t just about universities; it’s about patient safety. Without lecturers and those who run nursing courses, there’ll be fewer nursing staff in our NHS and social care,” said Nicola Ranger, general secretary and chief executive of the RCN.
“Fewer staff and higher student ratios pose a risk to the quality of education that nurses of the future receive,” she continued.
Overwhelming pressure
Responses to a survey of RCN members working in higher education also revealed concerns about the impact of job cuts on already unsustainable workloads, student experiences and the ability of universities to accept people onto courses.
When asked how nursing programmes would be impacted by reducing staff costs, 91% of nurse educators who responded said job cuts would negatively affect their workload, while 88% said this would affect the experience of students. More than half (52%) said reductions in staff would negatively affect the number of students who can be accepted onto courses.
Many lecturers are now responsible for teaching, assessing and providing pastoral care for increasing numbers of students as a result of the staffing and financial pressures on universities. Some educators (33%) said they were responsible for more than 80 students.
One in four educators said their workload is so overwhelming it’s affecting their personal life.
While the survey focused on courses in England, universities across the UK are facing similar staffing pressures. Earlier this year, the School of Nursing at Cardiff University was threatened with closure. Although an agreement with management has been reached that protects jobs this year, the risk of redundancies remains.
