Petition to save Cardiff University nursing programme gets over 18,000 signatures

Cardiff University students have started a petition to save the nursing programme, and it’s already got over 18,000 signatures.

The petition was started after it was announced last Tuesday that Cardiff University is set to cut courses and around 400 jobs to help tackle the funding shortfall of the £30m “black hole in its budget”.

One of the courses which the university has included in its closure proposal is the nursing programme, a plan that lecturers and students found out about through the Welsh media rather than through the university.

The petition to save the Cardiff University School of Nursing, condemns the proposal for the programmes closure and urges the “university to find another solution” to prevent the impact on the number of nurses in Wales at a time when there is a “significant number of nursing vacancies within the NHS”.

Talking about the potential closure, one nursing student, Jess, told The Cardiff Tab: “Cardiff’s nursing programme is nothing but supportive and has given a lot to its students, especially as we work under the NHS and its pressures which everyone is aware of.

“The uni has detailed their reasonings due to low student satisfaction but we urge them to recognise that this is not at the fault of the programme but rather treatment we receive out on placement.”

Another student, who wished not to be named, added: “With the recent news that has come to light it has made us as a nursing students worry about our future and what is to come. The fact it came from the media and not from the university is what has concerned us the most, we felt blindsided and it came as a great shock to us.”

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At the time of writing, the current number of signatures on the petition is 18,127 with a new set goal of 25,000.

The School of Nursing is ranked number one in Wales and fifth in the UK, with “over a 1,000 students within the department” according to the creator of the petition.

They add that the programme is “recognised for [its] excellence in learning, teaching and research” and the School of Nursing prides itself “on pursuing research of the highest quality, and are one of the leading healthcare departments in the UK”.

The petition creator continued by saying: “As well as this, the staff  work incredibly hard, have invaluable diverse expertise and put their hearts and souls into making the school a vibrant and welcoming place. The nursing department is full of warm, intelligent, passionate people with a wealth of knowledge, who are in danger of losing their livelihoods. We stand in solidarity with the university staff affected by this decision.”

Speaking with The Cardiff Tab on the proposal to close the School of Nursing, the president of the UCU and senior lecturer in hispanic studies, Dr Joey Whitfield said: “It’s devastating and just speaks to the shambolic nature of what they seem to be doing.”

A Cardiff University spokesperson said: “It’s important to stress that these are proposals and there is still a great deal of detail to work through before any final decisions are made. In the short term there will be no immediate impact on nursing students or their ability to complete their studies.

“We are committed to delivering nursing degree programmes to the students starting in 2025. We are acutely aware of our role in delivering the next generation of healthcare professionals for Wales and beyond and are actively consulting with all stakeholders on our proposals.” 

You can sign the “Save Cardiff Universities School of Nursing” petition here.

Feature image credit: Google Maps