Do you offer a pre-registration healthcare course in one of these subjects?

 

• dietetics
• dental therapy or dental hygiene
• midwifery
• nursing (adult, child, mental health, learning disability, joint nursing/social work)
• occupational therapy
• operating department practitioner
• orthoptics
• orthotics and prosthetics
• physiotherapy
• podiatry/chiropody
• radiography (diagnostic and therapeutic)
• speech and language therapy

If so, your students may be able to get additional financial support from the NHS Learning Support Fund on top of their student loan.

 

What is the Learning Support Fund?

The Learning Support Fund (LSF) is administered by NHS Business Services Authority Student Services and is made up of three types of finance:

• Child Dependants’ Allowance – students who have a child under 15 years old, or under 17 years if they’re registered with special educational needs, can claim a £1,000 non income assessed grant each academic year. Students will need to apply for this each year they’re at university.
• Travel and Dual Accommodation Expenses – students can claim back any additional expenses they’ve had as part of attending practice placements. Students need to submit their claim within nine months of the last day of their placement.
• Exceptional Support Fund – students who find themselves in financial hardship can apply for an income assessed grant of up to £3,000 per academic year.

How can students apply?

It’s really easy to apply for the Learning Support Fund. Students simply create an account online and select which type they want to apply for. We’ll need a copy of their student finance letter at the start of each academic year (or when they first apply each year) which we’ll hold on their account. Students must also include a student coversheet whenever they send evidence or correspondence to us, which they can download from their LSF account. We have a guidance video which can take students through the application process.

 

Where can I find out more information?

You can find lots of useful information about LSF and how to apply by visiting our website www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/LSF. You can also follow us on Twitter @NHSBSA_LSF or Facebook /LearningSupportFund. If you would like to talk to a member of the NHSBSA Student Services Team about LSF or would like the team to visit your university to talk to your staff or students, please email nhsbsa.studentservices@nhs.net