First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, has announced that additional funding will be put towards supporting nursing and midwifery students.
An additional £3 million will be added to existing funding to help students who are studying nursing or midwifery and have dependants.
The Nursing and Midwifery bursary will also be protected in Scotland, following a review with students, professional bodies and unions.
The Dependence Allowance is set to increase by £1,000 per year.
Speaking to the Sunday Post, First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, said: “Nurses and midwives play a vital role in Scotland – demonstrating amazing dedication, commitment and professionalism on a daily basis.
“While staffing in our NHS is at a record high, we know that as demand increases we must do more to build capacity into the future health and social care workforce.
“I also want to restate my commitment to protecting the non-means tested, non-repayable nursing and midwifery student bursary – something we believe is essential to ensuring a steady supply of trainees into the profession.”
Currently, The Dependence Allowance limit is £2,640 for a spouse or cohabiting partner, and the same for the first child where there is no dependent.
Other allowance increases in financial support for 2017/18 include the Single Parents Allowance from £1,303 to £2,303 per academic year and the Childcare Allowance to £2,466.
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