Cardiff University will not close its school of nursing, as proposed, if alternative proposals are agreed. However, the school would take fewer students in future.
An email to staff went out today and there will be further meetings as the university gives the latest updates on its cuts proposals. The initial 400 job losses proposed, scaled down to 355, has now been reduced to 286, said Vice Chancellor Professor Wendy Larner.
A total of 81 staff have taken voluntary redundancy since the 90-day cuts consuktation began in January. The consultation was launched in response to the university's projected £31m+ deficit amid ongoing financial pressures..
The university has faced strong opposition to its proposed cuts. As well as the initial loss of 400 academic jobs, now revised down to 286, the university proposed the closure of entire degree courses and academic schools including nursing, modern languages, music, ancient history, translation, religion, and theology.
Stay with us as we bring you all the latest updates here.
Responding to proposals by Cardiff University to row back on closing its School of Nursing at Cardiff the Welsh Government said: “It is important that a plan continues to be developed, which considers the needs of the sector and provides a credible and sustainable alternative for nursing provision in the region. We will continue to engage with Cardiff University and HEIW whilst this plan is being developed."
Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) is the statutory body responsible for the education and training of healthcare professionals is Wales. It would be responsible for the development of any plan to ensure the continuity of nursing provision and would then provide the detail of this plan to Welsh Government.
Plaid Cymru has called on the Welsh Government to step in and ensure there is no reduction to places to study nursing in Wales. Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson on health and care, welcomed plans to scale back proposed cuts to Cardiff University School of Nursing, but said it was not enough.
“This is welcome news but the fact remains that we simply shouldn’t have gotten to this point in first place, especially when we know that Wales currently faces a 2,000 nursing shortage, " he said.
Whilst it’s reassuring to see that steps are being taken to save nursing placements at Cardiff University, serious questions remain regarding the proposal to reduce the number of students. Given the scale of the challenge that our NHS is facing, we shouldn’t be seeing any cuts at all to nursing courses, and I urge the university to consider all options to ensure that we maintain the full complement of nursing placements.
“The Labour Welsh Government cannot shake off responsibility any longer – they must make clear what steps they’re taking to work with Cardiff University and other institutions to ensure that there is no reduction in placements to study nursing in Wales. This should be part of a wider national workforce plan to tackle the recruitment issues facing our NHS.”
The Welsh Government has been approached for comment.
The Royal College of Nursing Wales has welcomed Cardiff University's decision to look at keeping the School of Nursing, but warned that it will be smaller and trust has been lost. It said that while it has not seen the detail of the plan it allows for a supply of nurses into the NHS in Wales.
The RCN said in a statement: "The Royal College of Nursing (RCN), like many students and staff members at Cardiff University, is relieved to hear that nurse education will continue, but is bitterly disappointed that the actions taken since the proposal were not taken much sooner.
"The proposal has insulted the nursing profession and now Cardiff University must demonstrate its commitment to value the nursing profession and support students and staff following what has been a very distressing period. The scale of the cuts to student places and academic staff remains unclear and while Cardiff University says this will allow for a sustainable pipeline of newly qualified nurses into NHS Wales, the RCN has not seen this detail.
"Going forward we expect to be involved, and we will be seeking guarantees that there remain enough academic staff to continue to deliver world class research and education."
Helen Whyley, executive director of the RCN in Wales said: "Cardiff University’s decision to keep its nursing provision is absolutely the right thing to do. The RCN vehemently opposed the proposed closure, which would have had a devastating impact on nurse staffing levels, the education of future nurses, and the quality of patient care across Wales.
"However, we are disappointed to learn that many staff have taken voluntary redundancy and that the provision going forwards will be smaller. Ultimately Cardiff University will be training fewer nurses a time when we crucially need to be growing the workforce in Wales.
“We’re pleased that the voices of nursing staff, students, and the wider health care community have been heard but through effective leadership and management this situation could have been avoided. This uncertainty has led to a mass exodus of staff taking with them the skills and expertise needed for the future of nursing in Wales.
"Cardiff University now has enormous responsibility to demonstrate that it values nursing and regain its global reputation around the world.”
Responding to today's scaled back cuts proopsal the Cardiff University branch of the University College Union warned it was not enough. A summer of disruptive industrial action will follow if there are any compulsory redundancies, the UCU warned.
While it welcomed the hope that nursing programmes will be safe, under proposals which would halt the total closure of the school of nursing, the UCU said that was not enough.
“We are relieved for the very small number of staff that have been taken out of scope for redundancy. We also welcome the overall reduction in proposed staff cuts and the very early-stage news that there may be some hope for nursing programmes," the UCU said in a statement.
“But today’s news is not good enough. It is unforgivable that so many of our members remain in fear for their livelihoods, especially when other sensible, evidence-based options are on the table. As we have argued from the start, compulsory redundancies are avoidable if the university dials back its overly ambitious and unnecessary money-making targets, and draws on its hundreds of millions in available cash to fund a more gradual recovery.
"Instead, it still favours a rushed, slash-and-burn approach. “The story for Cardiff University staff today, yet again, is one of uncertainty, fear, administrative chaos, and managerial incompetence. Cardiff University Executive Board’s handling of this process from the beginning has been utterly shambolic.
"As numerous experts have observed, it has been an object lesson in how not to manage an institutional crisis. The shockwaves caused by senior managers’ actions continue to do lasting and serious damage the institution and its reputation.
“Our red line remains that there should be no compulsory redundancies this year at Cardiff University. We have a huge mandate for industrial action in defence of jobs, the shape of which we will announce soon.
"Our members have built an enormous social, political, and cultural movement against these cuts. From Nobel Prize winners to Sir Elton John, everyone supports us in our simple, modest demand. We urge the University Executive Board to listen too, before the university is hit by a summer of disruptive, but avoidable, industrial action.”
The Welsh Conservatives have fired a broadside at Cardiff university management saying it would be a "disgrace" if a campus opens in Kazakhstan whilst cuts continue in Wales. Welcoming a partial scale back on Cardiff University’s proposed cuts, the Conservatives said the university should use its reserves to help stem cuts.
In a statement the party said: "The latest update outlines plans to enable the mathematics, chemistry and nursing courses to keep running, albeit in a reduced capacity. However, concerns have been raised about the university’s decision to pursue establishing a campus in Kazakhstan while making cuts to its Welsh campus.
"The Welsh Conservatives maintain the position that more must be done to ensure all essential courses be protected and for universities to utilise their reserves before considering redundancies or cuts.£
Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education, Natasha Asghar MS, said:
“It would be a national disgrace if any cuts to essential courses go ahead while the university pushes ahead with its plans for a Kazakhstan campus. Whilst this partial U-turn from Cardiff University is welcome, many staff and pupils will remain concerned that courses are still being cut and reduced.
“Cardiff University is the largest in Wales, yet with other institutions also facing financial challenges, I fear we may still see the loss of essential courses across the country. This would have devastating consequences for our economy, communities, and public services.”
Cardiff University confirmed last month that it will press ahead with plans to open a campus in Kazakhstan later this year. It is also looking at "opportunities" in other countries including China, India, Malaysia, Singapore, and the USA.
Vice-chancellor Professor Wendy Larner and chair of the university's council Pat Younge said the university council had now approved the Kazakhstan branch which will go ahead subject to final legal agreement.
The university has been criticised for its the plans to open a branch in the Kazakhstan capital Astana in light of massive proposed cuts announced in January. Concerns have also been also raised about human rights in the former Soviet republic. You can read more about the plans here
Proposed academic job losses at Cardiff University have fallen from 400 to 286, its Vice Chancellor has confirmed. Professor Wendy Larner said that all staff in the university's schools of maths and chemistry have had the threat of redundancy lifted, but 1,307 across the institution still remain at risk of redundancy.
In a message to staff Professor Larner said alternative proposals for the nursing school, which will see fewer students studying there, is on the table, but depends on agreement from the Welsh Government and others. There was widespread opposition to proposals to close the school of nursing as part of efforts to address an overall £31m+ deficit at the university.
Professor Larner said that removing maths chemistry from scope of the cuts consultation means that there is now a total of 1,307 staff in the in-scope pool for redundancy across the university, down from 1,807 at the start of the consultation. A total of 81 staff have applied and been accepted for voluntary redundancy which- this means the university now proposes to cut 286 full time academic jobs, rather than 400 it proposed at the beginning of the consultation in January.
On the school of nursing the Vice Chancellor said: "There is an alternative proposal for nursing that would see us retain adult, child and mental health nursing, albeit recruiting smaller numbers of undergraduates. The proposal focuses on improving the student experience and thus the progression through the degree programmes, ensuring that as many well-trained graduates join the NHS programme as possible at the end of their degree.
"We will be looking to broaden the routes into that degree programme to ensure widening participation, potentially by adding a foundation year. Acceptance of this alternative proposal is contingent on securing approval from Welsh Government, the NHS and Health Education and Improvement Wales – and this is complex because what we do affects the NHS workforce across Wales - but we are hopeful that we can arrive at a solution that safeguards nursing provision at Cardiff."
Professor Larner's message to staff today in full:
When we passed the mid-way point of the ur Academic Future consultation, we agreed with our trade unions that we would hold two further review points, before the end of the consultation, when we would look at the situation for each academic school, with a view to removing colleagues from scope wherever that was possible.
Today is the first of those review points and following consultation with trade unions we have been able to remove colleagues from the School of Chemistry, and the School of Mathematics, from the in-scope pool. This means that staff within those schools are no longer at risk of redundancy.
"We are also pausing consideration of voluntary redundancy applications in the School of Healthcare Sciences, where nursing staff are in-scope of the consultation.Alternative proposals have played an important role in changing the status of these academic schools. Schools have put forward adaptations for the proposals which see us achieving the same outcomes, within the same timeframe, in slightly different ways.
For chemistry, we have accepted the school’s proposal to retain the medicinal chemistry programme. For mathematics, there is a very interesting proposal for a new programme that can widen participation in the school. For both schools, we have reviewed the undergraduate home targets, confident that we can still hold tariff with increased numbers.
Our agreement in Kazakhstan also requires input from mathematics colleagues, meaning that the reduction in FTE that we were looking to achieve is smaller.
There is an alternative proposal for nursing that would see us retain adult, child and mental health nursing, albeit recruiting smaller numbers of undergraduates. The proposal focuses on improving the student experience and thus the progression through the degree programmes, ensuring that as many well-trained graduates join the NHS programme as possible at the end of their degree.
We will be looking to broaden the routes into that degree programme to ensure widening participation, potentially by adding a foundation year. cceptance of this alternative proposal is contingent on securing approval from Welsh Government, the NHS and Health Education and Improvement Wales – and this is complex because what we do affects the NHS workforce across Wales - but we are hopeful that we can arrive at a solution that safeguards nursing provision at Cardiff.
We are continuing to review alternative proposals every week, and Pro Vice-Chancellors are giving verbal feedback to those who submit them. The process is iterative and we are in dialogue with heads of school and staff across the university.
Removing mathematics and chemistry from scope of the consultation means that there is now a total of 1,307 staff in the in-scope pool, reduced from 1,807 at the start of the consultation. We have had 81 staff apply for and be accepted for voluntary redundancy to date, meaning that alongside approved voluntary severance applications we are on course to make 114 Full Time Equivalent(FTE) reductions - this means we are now proposing to reduce academic FTE numbers by 286, rather than 400 we started with at the beginning of the consultation."
The university voluntary redundancy scheme will close on May 6 and a temporary flexible working scheme and temporary annual leave purchase scheme have also been launched.
Cardiff University school of nursing has been saved from closure, but will take less students, staff have been told this morning. The news was given in a message from Professor Stephen Riley pro vice chancellor of the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences.
He said the proposals to shut the school had been scaled back after talks with the Welsh Government, and others.
Here is his message to staff and students this morning:
"You will be aware that initially we put forward proposals to cease nursing provision at Cardiff university as part of a university-wide consultation called ‘Our Academic Future’. However, we have always been clear that these were proposals, and no final decisions had been taken.
"Since announcing the formal consultation in January, we have had extensive discussions with you, students, HEIW, NMC, RCN, NHS, and Welsh Government, alongside collective consultation via our Trade Unions. We have also worked collaboratively on alternative proposals. We all remain in agreement that any alternative proposal needs to protect the future pipeline of nursing graduates to ensure a consistent supply of well-trained nurses for the NHS in Wales and beyond.
"I am pleased to say that there is an alternative proposal that provides a credible alternative plan, addressing the issues of academic and financial sustainability for all three of our nursing professions and which has outline support from key stakeholders but needs to have the implications for the wider sector worked through. We are operating in a complex system, and this does take some time to agree and manage.
"The alternative proposes that we will teach smaller undergraduate nursing cohorts than currently, with the degree programmes reshaped to significantly enhance the teaching and learning experience offered to our students. This would require a student staff ratio of 18:1 as outlined in the original proposal. We would continue to offer adult, child and mental health nursing programmes for students from Wales and beyond. This is good news for the public, patients and of course the future nursing workforce in Wales.
"Key aspects of any nursing provision need to embrace widening participation and equality of access for students. We will therefore explore options for supporting students onto our nursing programmes and widening the routes available for entry, possibly via a foundation programme.
"As current applicants have been reassured, regardless of the outcome of the current consultation, nursing students who enter the University in 2025 will be taught at Cardiff University School of Healthcare Sciences to the conclusion of their degree in 2028.
"We will now need to continue dialogue with HEIW, NHS and Welsh Government on the proposal and its implications for the health workforce in Wales. The alternative proposal would mean teaching fewer undergraduate students each year, but focusing heavily on the student experience and support provided throughout the degree.
"This should result in a higher proportion of students successfully graduating and moving into the Welsh NHS. We will also seek to redevelop our postgraduate offering and maintain a research base for the profession in Wales.
"There are elements of the proposal that are outside the University’s control – for example, the proposal that the University receives the full fee of £9,535 for nursing students, rather than the £9,000 received currently, this is a Wales wide issue. We also need to discuss with our stakeholders how many international nursing students we can take.
"Given these developments, we will now pause consideration of any further voluntary redundancy applications for the School of Healthcare Sciences. The applications received so far to the voluntary severance and voluntary redundancy scheme provide the required staffing levels to offer and deliver the newly reshaped nursing programmes on a sustainable basis. We will review any further applications for voluntary redundancy that we have received from colleagues within the school at the end of the consultation period, alongside confirming the final proposal.
"I recognise that this has been an extremely challenging couple of months for everyone. It has caused a huge amount of uncertainty and worry. While we still need to engage with external stakeholders and continue to consult with our trade unions before accepting the alternative proposal, I do hope that news of this alternative and sustainable solution brings some reassurance for you all. "
Cardiff University said that its Vice Chancellor Professor Wendy Larner will make a statement to staff later today about the latest news on proposed cuts.
The school of nursing has been saved from closure, although the university will demand increased fees for students there. It is understood that the scale of job losses will also be reduced.
Despite the level of cuts being scaled down, entire departments, courses and staff still remain at risk. Academic staff in the business school said all their jobs still remain in scope for redundancy today.
It is understood that in total around 1,300 jobs are still officially at risk at Cardiff University.
It is understood that Cardiff University's school of nursing has been saved from threat of closure along with the school of chemistry. However, it is understood that its woerk may be scaled back.
More than 1,300 staff across the university still have the threat of redundancy hanging over them, with hundreds of jobs still earmarked to go as part of the proposed cuts.
There has been huge outcry over the proposal to close the highly regarded school of nursing. Protests were hold outside the school and the RCN warned closure could affect the flow of nurses needed in Wales.
The university is expected to make a statement to staff this morning.
Cardiff University staff in the UCU have voted to walk out or take action short of strike in protest at any threatened compulsory job losses as part of the proposed cuts. The action could mean an assessment boycott and disrupt this summer's graduations.
A total 83% backed strike action, and 86% backed action short of a strike up to and including an assessment boycott, in a ballot that saw more than 64% of Cardiff UCU members vote last month.
The university has previously said it cannot rule out compulsory job cuts, although it would work to avoid them. You can read more about the strike threat here
Cardiff University is not alone in facing financial pressure. Institutions across Wales and the UK say they have been hit by rising costs, near static home tuition fees and falling numbers of higher paying international students, as well as increased National Insurance costs.
It is estimated that universities in Wales will end this year with a collective deficit around £70m. The University of South Wales, Cardiff Metropolitan and Bangor universities have all also announced job losses. Swanse University has announced a "curriculum review". You can read more about job losses at USW and Cardiff Met here.
Since January academics and the Royal College of Nursing are among those who have submitted alternative plans to Cardiff University to address its projected £31m+ deficit. Both argued for a slower, less brutal level of cuts to bring down the projected shortfall.
A document from academics, edited by former Education Minister Professor Leighton Andrews, who now works in the university's business school, suggested savings over several more years and dipping into the university's multi million pound reserves.
That plan, submitted to the university's management two weeks ago, also suggested handing back more responsibility to academic schools for managing staff/student ratios and a freeze on promotions and recruitment.
Welsh Government further education minister Vikki Howells has also said she expected universities to use some of their reserves to address financial pressure. The Welsh Government has also pumped more cash into higher education in response to recent pressures.
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