THE Welsh government has been slammed for underfunding health education amid plans by Cardiff University to cut 400 jobs and axe their School of Nursing.

It has instead announced additional funding for the international recruitment of nurses.

Welsh Health Secretary Jeremy Miles told Senedd this week: “Additional international recruitment, along with new initiatives, will take place this year to support the recruitment needs of health boards and NHS trusts.

“By investing in international recruitment initiatives, alongside our ongoing commitment to training a home-grown workforce, we are driving down agency spend and improving the quality of care in the NHS.”

In July, research by the Royal College of Nursing found that 78 per cent of nurses in Wales said staffing levels were not sufficient to meet the needs of patients safely.

Unison Cymru higher education chairman Dan Beard told the Star yesterday: “Persistent underfunding has left many universities in financial crisis, but staff and students should not be the ones who suffer.

“The funding model for higher education is broken and ministers must now provide a long-term, sustainable solution in response to the crisis in universities.”