Hello, where are you thinking of applying?
That was the idea, and that is what will happen from 2018 onwards. The websites were all updated during the consultation when it was believe it would go ahead for 2017, and they thought there would be no NHS funding and were unsure if there would be any loans to help (other than postgrad £10,000 loan). However, the consultation finished and the government published the outcome (
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/changing-how-healthcare-education-is-funded )
This states: "We accept that pre-registration postgraduate and second degree students bring valuable qualities to the healthcare student population and to the NHS workforce. We also accept that students who come to pre-registration healthcare courses through postgraduate or second degree routes may be more likely to be older than the general student population. The government has also taken into consideration the numerous submissions calling for students on healthcare master’s courses to receive more financial support than that envisaged by the new postgraduate master’s loan, which at £10,000 has been designed as a contribution to a
student’s costs. There is therefore a risk that were funding not available to prospective postgraduate healthcare applicants, student numbers, and therefore workforce supply, could fall. For pre-registration postgraduate courses specifically, a number of responses proposed that funding should be made available on the same terms as for undergraduate students (as
currently happens for students of the Postgraduate Certificate in Education). The government is considering this option and others as a long-term solution, but will not be implementing a new funding model for pre-registration postgraduate students beginning their course in 2017.
Ahead of implementing a longer-term solution to ensure pre-registration postgraduate students can continue their valuable contribution to non-medical professions, the government will make funding available for tuition and bursaries for a capped number of pre-registration postgraduate
healthcare places for new starters in 2017, based on the same numbers that are currently in place. This is a transitional arrangement only for new entrants in 2017 until a longer-term solution is finalised from 2018 onwards. Further detail will be published in due course."
So it it a short term measure, sounds like it will be NHS bursary still, might not be identical to current years but sounds like it will be. They want loans in place from 2018. They are implementing loans for undergrad courses from 2017 but think they just needed more time to arrange the postgrad ones hence the delay. Regarding more places: yes once it is scrapped there will be more places (so wont be in 2017) but it won't happen overnight - when I was at open days/evenings they said they wouldn't suddenly increase it, it would be very gradual. In terms of easier to get in: Yes, i think universities were working on the assumption it would be harder to get applicants if there were no bursaries or loans but with the likely introduction of loans for postgrad students from 2018 (which will be more money than they get from the bursary) I doubt demand will go down much! The only downside I can see is that you will probably get less money to live on from bursary than you would from new loans, but i'm happy to take that if it means thousands less in debt to pay off!! But I agree it might be very competitive again this year as it's the last year or bursary
Of course as well I'm not expecting to get in the first year I apply anyway so who knows basically! but if you do manage to get a place for 2017 it will be paid by bursary