YUSU President Kallum Taylor has announced a number of improvements for Health Sciences students.
Speaking via a YUSU Blog earlier today, Taylor reported that students will be able to take a new bus service to their 7am hospital placements, set to begin in the next academic year.
A hardship fund will also be set up for Health Sciences students who fall into financial difficulty at university.
The changes come following the news that a YUSU Study found Health Sciences students have been borrowing thousands to complete their courses.
YUSU President Kallum Taylor said: “For well over a year now we’ve been trying to get the Students’ Union here more familiar with the concerns, needs and wants of Health Sciences students as (without meaning to patronise) they’re a group of students who, nationally, are not served or understood anywhere near enough.”
The department has promised to improve on the low awareness of the Travel Advance Scheme, available to students who are eligible on the ‘Travel to Practice’ scheme and have a “travel disregard”.
The Health Sciences Department has also assured students that they will be able choose more flexible placement start times.
Taylor further said: “Whilst I realise that these are not wholly revolutionary changes – and we’ve certainly not took our attention of pushing for national changes like a 4th loan instalment [sic] to help these students through July, August and September, and a much quicker expenses reimbursement system – we do think that these are tidy and genuinely helpful improvements.”
A spokesperson from the department said: “The NHS Bursaries Unit has speeded up its response times over the past few months, but some students are still having to wait an unacceptably long time before they are reimbursed.
We are very grateful to YUSU for highlighting some of the issues and working with us to identify possible solutions.”
Health Sciences Students account for over a third of the University’s figures for Widening Participation, the scheme assisting less privileged and under-represented groups into and throughout Further and Higher Education.
Information on how to apply for a travel advance is available on the VLE admin site and via the Student Information Service.