THE University of Bradford has said it has seen applications for nursing degrees go up by a third, with the efforts of the NHS during the Covid-19 pandemic inspiring more people to pursue a career in the health service.

It said applications in 2021 have gone up by 32 per cent from 2020, and said the Covid-19 pandemic and also innovative teaching at the university are the drivers behind the increase.

It comes as nationally nursing applications have also increased by 32 per cent, with tens of thousands of school leavers and mature students deciding a career in the NHS is for them.

MORE: Covid-19 inspires record numbers to apply for nursing degrees

In Bradford, there has also been an increase in applications from a South Asian background and also a rise in male applicants for their nursing course.

Dr Pam Bagley, Dean of the Faculty of Health Studies, said: “It is great to see the level of interest from people wanting to study nursing.

"It is a fantastic profession that offers an incredibly diverse range of employment settings and opens the door to a host of career directions.

“The University is working closely with our partners in health and social care to create more opportunities for people to study nursing and allied health careers.

“Nursing is a profession that appeals to students progressing straight from school and those who are seeking to change careers. It is a profession that is enhanced by diversity across gender, race and culture, something our university is committed to.”

Danielle Woods, a lecturer in adult nursing and a registered nurse, added: “All our prospective nursing students undergo an interview as part of our rigorous admissions process.

"We are seeing evidence that people are being motivated to pursue a career in nursing by the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic to immediate and longer term health outcomes.

"However, we were seeing an increase in applications even before the pandemic, thanks to our close working partnerships with local healthcare trusts and innovative teaching methods.

“These methods have been particularly tested during the pandemic. One example of where we have used technology to innovate during this time is in creating an online simulated major incident, which tests student nurses with realistic medical scenarios and puts them under constant pressure, having to work out problems as they occur.”

Mike Adams, director for England at the Royal College of Nursing, also welcomed the increase in applicatons.

He said: “Today’s nursing staff are clearly inspiring those of the future.

“This is a welcome boost in applications but follows a number of years of decline since the removal of Government support for tuition fees and living costs.”

Mr Adams warned the boost is “still not at the scale that is needed” and called for nursing students to be given full tuition funding and living cost support to ensure they are not “forced to leave” courses due to financial pressures.

Last year, the Government introduced bursaries of at least £5,000 per year for all healthcare students, three years after scrapping NHS bursaries and replacing them with tuition fees and loans which led to a drop in applications of almost a quarter.

Health minister Helen Whately said the increase in applications was "testament to the NHS and Ucas for highlighting nursing as a rewarding career path".