Former chief nurse tells COVID-19 inquiry abolition of NHS nursing student bursary was to blame for some of the nurse staffing shortfall in the pandemic. Dame Ruth May told the COVID-19 inquiry the then government’s decision to remove financial assistance from nursing undergraduates had been catastrophic. Dame Ruth told the Hallett inquiry the bursary’s demise resulted in 5,000 fewer nurses and midwives than there would have been otherwise. Dame Ruth became tearful as she recalled that working ‘under the radar’ in hospitals during the pandemic showed her the struggles nurses faced, including working in full PPE.