The Universities and Colleges Admission Service said 26,730 people had places starting undergraduate nursing courses as of 10 August. This represents an 8% rise on last year.

The RCN said the increase cannot address current nurse staffing shortages, claiming there are about 40,000 vacancies in England alone.

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‘This latest increase is encouraging and is no doubt a result of the high profile and professionalism of nursing staff during the pandemic,’ said RCN England director Patricia Marquis.

‘But record numbers of acceptances does not equate to record numbers of nurses entering the workforce, as many of these students won’t qualify until 2024 and beyond.’

The growth was mainly in England, where 1,990 more people than last year secured places.

New nursing student numbers in the rest of the UK remain relatively stable. In Wales, there are 20 more than last year while there was no change in Scotland. The number is down slightly in Northern Ireland, with 10 fewer acceptances than a year ago.

The number of men embarking starting nursing programmes has risen 4% since last year to 2,330.

rcni.com/ucas-acceptance-data