Minimum wage pay for all healthcare students for placement hours worked!
This petition gathered 11,763 signatures between 11 July 2022 and 25 January 2023, according to the Parliament petitions site. The Government responded on 9 December 2022. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 20 November 2023.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Minimum wage pay for all healthcare students for placement hours worked!
Pay healthcare students at least minimum wage for placement hours. It cost each student a minimum of £17 per shift in fuel. £186 in tuition and lost earnings. Some students pay £170 on fuel alone each week for 37.5 hours of work.
To consider helping the student midwives, nurses, paramedics and all healthcare field students out with the rising cost of living!
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 9 December 2022; the petitions site lists the Department of Health and Social Care as responsible. Its summary:
There are no plans to pay healthcare students whilst on compulsory clinical placements. The Government offers non repayable grants worth at least £5,000 per academic year to support students.
The opening 277 words of the 474-word response:
We acknowledge and appreciate the unique characteristics and challenges of healthcare courses, and the significant financial pressures that students can face when undertaking their degrees. To help alleviate these pressures and help students focus on their studies, since September 2020, all eligible pre-registration nursing, midwifery and allied health profession students studying at English universities have received a non-repayable training grant of at least £5,000 per academic year. Additional funding is also available for studying certain courses, for example, Mental Health Nursing and Learning Disabilities Nursing, with further financial support available to students for childcare, dual accommodation costs and travel. This support package is in addition to maintenance and tuition fee loans provided by the Student Loans Company.
Students completing mandatory practice placements as part of their education programme are treated as ‘supernumerary’. This means there are protections in place which ensure that while students are in training, they are not replacing trained professionals required for safe and effective care. They are instead treated as an addition to the normal team. These protections are determined by the relevant independent regulator and are necessary as the purpose of placements is to allow healthcare students to acquire the skills and experience necessary to graduate and join the professional register.
To practise safely and effectively once qualified, it is essential that most practice learning is undertaken in direct care of patients, within a framework of supervision by the relevant registered healthcare professionals. The standards for education and training are the responsibility of the independent regulator for the respective profession. The regulator sets standards which ensure that nurses, midwives and allied health professionals can deliver necessary outcomes whilst also ensuring patient safety.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 648 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 168, came from Cardiff Central.
11,732 of the signatures were from the UK and 31 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Cardiff Central | 168 |
| Rhondda | 159 |
| Swansea West | 117 |
| Llanelli | 100 |
| Pontypridd | 93 |
| Swansea East | 92 |
| Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire | 91 |
| Gower | 90 |
| Cardiff North | 88 |
| Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney | 84 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Wales | 2,193 |
| South East | 1,754 |
| South West | 1,273 |
| London | 1,069 |
| East of England | 1,010 |
| North West | 936 |
| West Midlands | 830 |
| Scotland | 777 |
| Northern Ireland | 706 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 494 |
| East Midlands | 410 |
| North East | 200 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 20 November 2023. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/619609.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
1a166108de5b92fa… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.