QNI sees rise in financial assistance applications from nurses during 2021
2 February 2022
Community nursing charity, the Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI), has seen a substantial rise in applications for financial assistance during 2021.
A total of 371 grants were awarded. Usually, it is only community nurses who are considered when awarding grants, but in 2021 the QNI was given a grant from the Covid 19 Healthcare Support Appeal (CHSA) so were able to include all registered nurses that had been affected financially by the pandemic.
91 registered nurses were awarded funding, compared to 2020 where 78 community nurses received a single award grant – an increase of 16%. Assistance was broken down into single grants, grants from the CHSA, food vouchers and 17 retired community nurses also received a regular grant.
As well as financial assistance, the QNI also awards educational grants. 68 were given in 2021 totalling in excess of £45,000. Only 27 such grants were awarded in 2020. These courses included ‘Non medical prescribing’, ‘Health assessment in Clinical Practice’, ‘ Minor surgery skills’, Care for the Adult with Diabetes’, ‘COPD and the management of Asthma’. As well as CPD courses, the QNI helped a number of nurses take higher level qualifications such as MSc and PhD dissertations, looking at topics such as ‘Practice development in Midwifery’, ‘Palliative Care, and Dementia Studies to name a just a few.
‘I just wanted to express my sincere thanks to the QNI and all involved in my application for assistance. Have felt very low over last few weeks with the pain from my injury and worry of how I will cope with things have made things a little tricky. The help that you have given will make things a little easier for myself and my family and so just wanted to say a genuine thank you’. Financial Assistance recipient
‘I really can’t thank you enough for this. It will certainly take the pressure off whilst I take time off work to with my family to grieve for my husband. Thank you again so much for your support and again for awarding me this financial help at an extremely difficult time’. Financial Assistance recipient
‘I am extremely grateful to the Queen’s Nursing Institute for their financial support. Being a working mother of young children means money is tight, and I could not have paid of this course in full, meaning that I would never have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to support my patients. I have had to study in my own time, in the evenings after work and at weekends. It has been a busy, challenging 6 months but I have learnt more than I thought possible. Thank you very much.’ Educational Grants recipient
‘This course has taken my skill set to an advance level, which is above what is required as a practice nurse. It is also good preparation for further development if I were to go onto do my advance nurse practitioner as I am already now confident and competent at assessing eyes, lung and heart sounds which is what a lot of ‘on the day’ appointments include.’ Educational Grant recipient.
It has been a busy year and very hard for so many people. There has been such a wide variety of applications as people have been affected in so many ways. Sometimes it can be one thing after another, where a partner has been furloughed or someone is off sick, it only takes a washing machine to need replacing or a car to break down for things to escalate and seem unmanageable. It would seem many people are more fragile, just that bit closer to the edge, living day to day.
Justine Curtis, QNI Grant OfficerTo find out how to apply for financial help or education grants, please click here.
The QNI’s Impact Report 2021 will be published shortly.
Back to News