Commenting on today's announcement from the Nursing and Midwifery Council that it will allow final year nursing students to opt-in to paid clinical placements to support the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the chief executive of NHS Providers, Chris Hopson, said:

"Everyone would have wanted to avoid asking third year nursing students to help at the NHS frontline again, particularly since they were asked to help out in the first phase, in their second year. But the NHS is now in an incredibly serious situation.

"Trust leaders believe that the least the government can do is financially recognise the contribution we are asking these student nurses to make. This would also help maximise the number of people volunteering.

"Trust leaders support a reduction in all volunteers' third year fees by £3,000 from £9,000 to £6,000 but they obviously need this to be funded centrally by the government."