The loss of trained staff would be an ‘immediate risk’ to the healthcare trust’s workforce
Anthony May, chief executive of Nottingham University Hospitals, wrote an alarmed letter to the head of the Russell Group institution after it announced course suspensions(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Nottingham Post)
A controversial cost-cutting move by the University of Nottingham could pose serious risks to children’s healthcare, according to the boss of the city’s hospitals.
It has been revealed that Anthony May, the chief executive of Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH), wrote an alarmed warning to the cash-strapped university after it moved to suspend its children’s nursing course – along with 41 other degrees – in November.
Vice-chancellor Professor Jane Norman was told in an email seen by Nottinghamshire Live that the Russell Group’s institution decision to pause enrollment onto the course had “significant implications” for the trust which runs Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital, for children’s services across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, and the “broader healthcare system”.
“I am advised that this suspension poses potentially serious risks to the long-term sustainability of children’s healthcare services and carries wider implications for healthcare education and research,” NUH’s chief told the university leader in late November.
The NHS trust has historically hired the majority of the course’s cohort – which was its only provider of a children’s nursing programme – to meet its annual demand for 60 to 80 newly qualified nurses at Nottingham Children’s Hospital, Mr May outlined in his letter.
“The loss of this pipeline creates an immediate risk to the sustainability of our workforce,” he said.
The University of Nottingham, which is facing sizeable financial problems, suspended recruitment for 42 degree courses last year(Image: Joseph Raynor/ Reach PLC)
The boss warned his staff were concerned that the quality of NUH’s vital and specialist children’s services would be put at risk by the resulting lack of trained nurses.
Mr May also said the shortage of children’s nursing graduates would have a “ripple effect” on other disciplines, as those on medical, dental, and healthcare science programmes all required interaction with children’s services as part of their training.
“My colleagues are of the view that suspending this course will have a significant impact on our ability to recruit and retain a healthcare workforce for children’s services – and on the wider health and social care environment.
“Nottingham University Hospitals provides a wide range of healthcare services for our population, including regional neonatal services, paediatric intensive care, and specialised cancer and transplant services.
“Without suitably trained staff entering these environments, our ability to maintain these services will be compromised, with knock-on effects for medical and dental training environments.”
Fears were previously raised that the suspension of the course would hamper efforts to improve NUH’s maternity services, which are currently subject to the largest review in NHS history and a police investigation over baby deaths and injuries.
In an email response to Mr May’s concerns, university head Prof Norman said a final decision had not been made on the closure of the frozen courses – with this due in September this year – and that the university had been working on “minimising the potential impact” with the NHS trust.
“While we recognise the vital role our teaching plays in training the healthcare workforce, our current course offering is financially unsustainable,” Prof Norman, who recently suffered a no confidence vote by the university’s staff unions, wrote.
Professor Jane Norman, who has been the vice-chancellor of the University of Nottingham since January 1, 2025(Image: University of Nottingham)
This was something that had been challenged in the NHS trust leader’s earlier letter, where Mr May said applications to children’s nursing were up 12 per cent before the course’s suspension.
The chief executive of NUH, which has its own pronounced financial difficulties, had also offered to increase available placements for students from 69 to 100 so the course was more viable.
When contacted about the concerns raised by Mr May’s letter, a spokesperson for the University of Nottingham said: “Unfortunately, for our mental health and child nursing courses, the number of applicants is falling, many applicants do not meet the university’s entry requirements, and the number of graduates directly entering employment is challenging due to training bottlenecks, prompting us to review our provision.”
The university said it was “deeply committed” to healthcare education, with its adult nursing, midwifery, medicine and physiotherapy courses continuing.
A spokesperson for NUH said it was working with other educators to find new recruits, but declined to comment further.