Midwife makes heartfelt plea with the Prime Minister to save student bursaries

A trainee midwife has penned a heartfelt message to the Prime Minister in a desperate bid to save student bursaries.

Alison Brindle, 38, from Bolton, wrote the letter to Theresa May after working for 50 hours in a space of just four days.

The mother-of-three says she wrote it in a ‘woman to woman’ appeal to give trainee midwives a chance, and not take away what for many is their only source of income.

In the message, which was posted to Facebook and has since been shared more than 7,000 times, she reveals how much she misses her children.

She said she often leaves the house before her youngsters wake up in the morning, and doesn’t return until after they’re asleep.

Alison Brindle, 38, from Bolton, wrote the letter to Theresa May in a ‘woman to woman’ appeal to not take away what for many trainee midwives is their only source of income

‘When I tucked my little boy into bed last Friday night he said “night night, see you Monday”,’ she wrote.

‘My feet hurt from working the wards and I’m hungry because all I could eat were the sandwiches in my bag and the crackers from the vending machine. 

‘I don’t get paid for the work I do and I struggle to pay my bills. We eat basic family meals and shop on a daily basis.’

The Government is preparing to scrap midwifery and nursing bursaries from 2017 and replace them with loans.

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They claim the move will free up money to create additional roles by 2020, allowing more students to enter the profession.

But Ms Brindle argues the prospect of graduating with more than £50,000 debt will discourage people from joining the NHS – at a time when staffing shortages are causing a national crisis.

Ms Brindle, who studies at the University of Central Lancashire when not on placement at the Royal Preston Hospital, asked the Prime Minister ‘why would I put myself and my family through this?’

She uses the rest of her free time to care for her children and study for her degree – meaning she has no time to get another job. 

In the message, which was posted to Facebook and has since been shared more than 7,000 times, she reveals how much she misses her children. ‘When I tucked my little boy into bed last Friday night he said “night night, see you Monday”,’ she wrote

The letter added: ‘It keeps the fire in my belly burning and the passion in my heart caring for women and making their experiences the best they can be, it gives me pride to work in the NHS!

‘It may not be much but it helps us get through my course without going into more debt from higher student loans and course fees. 

NHS SPENDS £25 MILLION ON AGENCY MIDWIVES

The NHS spent £25 million on agency midwives last year – a figure that has doubled in two years, a new report last month claimed.

A rapid rise in the spend on agency staff was blamed on plugging gaps in the rota, rising overtime costs and large spends on NHS bank staff.

The Government has tried to clamp down on spiraling agency costs by introducing caps on how much each trust can pay agency staff.

But the new figures found hospitals are still heavily relying on agencies, paying an average of £41.25 per hour for midwives.

Around half of that cost is known to go straight to the agency. 

It means when I qualify and earn my money, I’ll be working for a better life for my ‘family, rather than working to pay back student debts.

‘In short, I need my bursary, I wouldn’t be able to become a midwife without it. I plead with you woman to woman.

‘Don’t scrap our bursaries, they give us hope, they give us a purpose, they give us a chance.’

Jon Skewes, from the Royal College of Midwives, says the plea illustrates why it is fighting so hard to ensure that bursaries for student midwives are kept.

He said: ‘If bursaries are scrapped, as this Government plans, then I have real fears that dedicated and caring students like Alison will either leave before they qualify, or indeed, will not start to train as midwives in the first place. 

‘This is an important issue as England is 3,500 full time midwives short of the numbers needed.’

Mr Skewes added that the plans are poorly thought out, and threaten the ‘stability and supply’ of the future midwifery and nursing workforce.

‘I urge Theresa May, her ministers and her Government to look carefully at this letter, and listen to people like Alison who can really tell them what the reality is and what the results of removing the bursary will be,’ he added.