References
Cardiff University's cuts risk deepening the crisis in our healthcare organisations
Abstract
Barry Hill, Professor of Nursing and Head of School for Nursing and Midwifery, Buckinghamshire New University (Barry.hill@bucks.ac.uk), Daniel Kelly, Emeritus Professor of Healthcare Sciences, Cardiff University and Paul Gill, Professor of Nursing & Deputy Head of Department, Nursing Midwifery & Health, Northumbria University share their views after Cardiff University confirmed plans to cut 400 full-time jobs amid a funding shortfall, with the university's nursing provision among the subjects being considered for closure
The recent proposal by Cardiff University to cut 400 jobs, including roles within nursing programmes (Ferguson, 2025), raises serious concerns for healthcare education and the wider community. This decision is particularly alarming given the persistent workforce shortages across the NHS in all four nations of the UK and signals not just a financial issue, but a societal crisis.
These are public sector jobs and individuals who provide fundamental access to advanced and consultant level practice. Nursing shortages in Wales and the UK as a whole are already at critical levels, with less than a quarter of NHS shifts in Wales fully staffed and patient safety increasingly at risk due to workforce gaps (Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Wales, 2024).
Wales is facing particular health challenges. Its population is ageing making innovative health provision a top priority (Older People's Commissioner for Wales, 2022). The proportion of people over the age of 60 is expected to rise to 30% of the population by 2030. Wales already has worrying vacancy rates for nursing at around 2000 (RCN Wales, 2024). Cutting academic jobs in nursing will only make it harder to train, retain, and recruit the workforce we desperately need.
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