NHS tuition fee funding for 2012?

Hi,

I am hoping to apply for radiography for 2012. Having googled a bit, I have found several forum posts (here and elsewhere) suggesting that, in terms of NHS funding, pretty much anything could happen in 2012 - including the NHS stopping their current practice of paying fees. As I am a graduate (albeit one that has not received any SFE funding in the past), I would not be able to get a loan for fees, so am reliant on there being at least some form of funding or loans in that respect.

So far, the only info I can find is that there is currently a consultation going on about bursaries. This has been going on for the last three years, with a consultation paper published in 12/09 with five options for reform. More recently, there have been two options forwarded this spring - 1) to provide a means tested & non-means tested bursary & a non-means tested loan, and 2) to provide a non-means tested and means tested bursary but no loan.

So, I'm completely confused. This just seems to refer to the bursary for living costs, no? I can't find anything even slightly official about changes to the practice of the NHS paying fees, yet the internet seems full of comments to that effect. To be honest, I don't care about the living costs as a combination of support from my partner and working in the holidays should suffice, but I definitely cannot afford to pay the fees myself! I really need to know about this before I spend nearly a grand on OU modules with the sole aim of getting into radiography Can anyone help? Surely if there were plans to change the way fees are paid in 2012, there would at least have been some kind of proposal or consultation about it by this point? Or is there something that I'm missing?

Many thanks to anyone who read all that and can offer any insight!