I am a first-year student paramedic, having to self-fund my studies because this is my second degree course. Last December, I was told I had been granted £6,166 from the NHS Learning Support Fund and received the first term’s payment of £1,300. I have since received an email from NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) saying that it has reassessed my application and that it has now been rejected. It is are now demanding that I repay the £1,300, which I can’t afford to do.
NS, Farnham, Surrey
You highlight what is, to my mind, a scandal. Paramedic students, unlike almost all other healthcare undergraduates, have been shut out of government funding, including student loans and NHS grants, if they are studying the subject as a second degree. This means that a graduate who wants to retrain as a nurse, dentist or midwife will receive financial support, but if they choose to become a paramedic they must find £27,750 in tuition fees and their living costs.
