Nursing degrees could be axed under Tory plans to end the 'degreeification' of work, replaced with apprenticeships

Published: 18:41 EDT, 5 November 2026 | Updated: 18:42 EDT, 5 November 2026 Nurses may not have to study for a degree under Conservative plans to end the 'degreeification' of work.Kemi Badenoch is examining whether prospective nurses and midwives could be trained on the job, without being saddled with tuition fee debt.The Tory leader is concerned about the 'degreeification of the world of work' and her party is drawing up plans for how to introduce more apprenticeships.But the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) lambasted her suggestion, saying degree-level education for nurses improves patient safety outcomes.The requirement for all new nurses in England to be educated to degree level was introduced in 2013.The Department for Health said at the time that the move would help nurses to meet the increasingly complex needs of patients, and that it reflected their increased responsibility.Then, only around a quarter of nurses held a degree, while most new nurses completed diploma courses lasting two years.Most nurses now study for a three year undergraduate degree, typically requiring at least five GCSEs and two A levels, though nursing degree apprenticeships do exist. Kemi Badenoch's comments were criticised by the Royal College of Nursing, who said nursing is a 'safety-critical, highly-skilled profession and vital to the delivery of modern health care'Nurses typically graduate with large student debts – totalling £50,160 on average for the most recent cohort of graduates. The figure is higher than for doctors, who had an average debt of £47,774, according to the RCN.Mrs Badenoch told LBC radio on Wednesday night that she thought it was 'very strange' that the NHS was not staffed with 'homegrown people'.'Of course, we will need people from other countries from time to time, but if you're telling me that the NHS will collapse without immigration, it means it's not structured properly.'The Tory leader said she did not understand why nurses must go to university and obtain degrees.Asked if she would change that, she replied: 'We are actively looking at it,' and referenced that the last Conservative government lifted the requirement for police officers to complete degrees.Mrs Badenoch added: 'I do wonder why we are putting so much debt on young people, and then they can't get jobs afterwards; when they get the jobs, they're not earning very much. And this is one of the things that Conservatives are very worried about.'But a RCN spokesman told the Mail in response: 'These tired perceptions of nursing are decades out of date. Nursing is a safety-critical, highly-skilled profession and vital to the delivery of modern health care.'All the evidence shows, nurses being degree-level educated improves patient safety outcomes.'The last Conservative government tripled student fees, scrapped the nursing bursary, delivered years of pay cuts and drove the profession out on strike. That is their record.'