In response to the NMC announcement on 14th Jan 2021 regarding third year students opting back to help with the response to COVID-19 please find here UNISON’s statement.
Main points to note:
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The emergency standards are not mandatory for any country, region, institution or student.
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First and second year nursing and all midwifery students are excluded entirely. Where possible, they can continue with their supernumerary placements but in some areas this may not be possible. In these circumstances these students revert to theory only
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Where the standards are enacted, nursing students in their final year can go on to a paid placement with the agreement of their university and trust. They will not be supernumerary and so will be paid. The decision as to whether students will be used in this way rests with AEIs, local placement providers and senior health and care leaders in the four administrations of the UK. They will take into consideration local factors which may have implications for safety, ease of operational delivery and staff and student preferences before making any changes that enable students to support the workforce.
If you have any concerns or queries please do not hesitate to get in touch. Understandably your local branch might be extremely busy, if that is the case then please contact Rachael Johnson.