The Government's proposal that all new nurses recruited by the NHS will have to have a degree by 2013 has been met with a mixed response.

The current nursing diploma courses of two or three years will be replaced by ones that run to four years. Health Minister Ann Keen has said that the degree would "provide new nurses with the decision making skills they need to make high-level judgements in the transformed NHS".

Recruiter reports that the proposal has caused some concern to healthcare recruitment agencies.

Although the proposal will people more qualified for nurse manager jobs, switching from a diploma to a degree will increase the amount of time it takes for a new entrant to qualify and start work.

Kate Bleasdale, a former nurse who now works in healthcare recruitment, told Recruiter that "as a former nurse with a masters degree, I think this is excellent news as it's about time that all nurses had the opportunity to develop their clinical and management skills. It can only lead to better patient care."

"However as we have seen in the social care sector, moving from diploma to a degree course can deter some school leavers from entering the profession"

These comments are supported by a report made in The Times last week.

The paper reported that figures obtained by Nursing standard magazine revealed that more than half of students on some nursing-related degree courses do not graduate because of "pressures of time, money and academic standards demanded".

Peter Carter, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said that "with rates as high as 78 percent, something is seriously wrong with the support offered to the nurses of the future."
"Financial support is very important but it is not the only kind of support that needs to be on offer".