The funding will be on top of existing support, such as student loans, and it won’t need to be paid back.

The Department of Health and Social Care said this is the first time that paramedic students will benefit from additional NHS funding while on courses at English universities.

Back in December, the government announced funding for new and continuing nursing, midwifery and ‘allied health’ students, such as dieticians, physiotherapists and radiographers. It comes as part of its manifesto to increase nurse numbers by 50,000 by 2025.

In total, the government expects the £5,000 maintenance grants to benefit around 100,000 students every year.

But extra payments worth up to £3,000 per academic year will also be available for eligible students:

• £1,000 towards childcare costs
• £1,000 if studying in a region that is struggling to recruit
• £1,000 if they’re a new student studying a ‘shortage specialism’ such as mental health nursing and learning disability nursing.

Minister for public health, Jo Churchill, said: “From paramedics to physiotherapists, radiographers to speech and language therapists, our talented allied health professionals are the third largest workforce in the NHS and support people to live better lives.

“As demand grows, we need more of the best and brightest to join our NHS. I want those who would relish the job of saving people’s lives as a paramedic or diagnosing cancer as a radiographer to come forward to train, taking advantage of this fantastic new £5,000 support package.”