Research from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has found that that more than 32,000 student nurses in England could drop out of their courses by 2029.

The RCN has called on the government to make nursing a more attractive degree and career by introducing a loan-forgiveness model for students who commit to working in the NHS and wider public services, alongside universal maintenance grants.

RCN general secretary and chief executive Professor Nicola Ranger said: "To deliver the government’s NHS reforms we need to supercharge recruitment into nursing, but we can’t do that with a broken education model or more real-terms pay cuts. Ministers should change course and agree a social contract with nursing students that sees pay rise and loans forgiven if they commit to working in public services."

She continued: “Transforming care cannot happen without investment to transform nursing. That means changing the way we recruit into the profession and making it a more attractive career by raising pay."