Ava's Story

Ava, 28, from Manchester Withington in the North West, wanted to train as a nurse to serve her local NHS. She had the qualifications, the motivation, and the community need was clear. But Health Education England's training budget had been constrained by Treasury spending limits that treated public investment as a cost to minimise rather than the means by which trained healthcare workers reach the wards that need them. The training places existed. People like Ava wanted to fill them. What was missing was a central government willing to fund the posts. This is her story of how Westminster's political choices blocked her path into healthcare. Please note: some details have been changed to protect privacy.