Job cuts at Cardiff University threaten the supply of nurses in Welsh health boards, a union leader has warned.

The university has confirmed plans to cut 400 full-time jobs amid a funding shortfall, with proposals involving course closures, and department mergers, with nursing, music and modern languages among the subjects facing cuts.

Helen Whyley, executive director of the Royal College of Nursing Wales, told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast the proposals were “worrying.”

Lecturers have begun receiving letters advising them their post is at risk and offering links to support – although the university has said it would only make compulsory redundancies “if absolutely necessary”.

Ms Whyley said the university has a “significant pipeline” in delivering nurses to health boards in south Wales.

“The Welsh government through Health Education Improvement Wales commissions nursing education and funds the universities to do that, and it’s one of our largest providers,” she said.

“It has a school of well over 1,000 students so that’s a significant number that come out every year.

“At a time where we have a significant number of nursing vacancies, it doesn’t take a mathematician to work out the students that come through Cardiff University are a very important contribution into that pipeline,” she said.

Ms Whyley said the cuts would also have an impact on the future of nursing academics.

She added that hospitals in Wales were short of 2,000 nurses and while the number was starting to decrease “hospitals are still in a very difficult position”.

Following Tuesday’s announcement, Cardiff lecturers began receiving letters from the university informing them of the planned changes.

They read in part: “Please see attached a copy of your notification of consultation letter advising that your post is at risk of redundancy and providing links to support available for you during this time of change. Also attached are the proposals for change in your school.”

On Tuesday Vice-Chancellor Professor Wendy Larner said the university would have become “untenable” without drastic reforms.

She said the job role cuts were only a proposal, but insisted the university had to “take difficult decisions” amid declining international student applications and increasing cost pressures, and most UK universities were grappling with a “broken” funding system.

Elsewhere, Swansea University said it will have to make £30m of cuts by the 2026/27 financial year despite more than 300 staff members leaving since September 2023.

The university’s annual report, published this week, said it had made £8.5m in savings through voluntary redundancies in this financial year.

But they stated they will extend their current financial savings programme for a further year and increased the level of expenditure savings by £30 million.

Swansea University told Newyddion S4C: “Even taking the additional savings required into account, we are confident that we will meet our academic pay savings targets this year through vacancy management and our Voluntary Exit Scheme (VES) and can avoid compulsory redundancies relating to our financial position.”

Plaid Cymru education spokesperson Cefin Campbell said the news of Cardiff job cuts was met with “deafening silence” by the Welsh government.

He challenged the Welsh government to explain “what they knew and when” about Cardiff’s plans and called on the university to urgently rethink its proposals.

A Welsh government spokesperson said it was “very disappointed that nursing courses form part of these proposals” and that it was “working urgently” to ensure the same number of nurses were trained in Wales.

A statement shared by Cardiff University Student Union president Madison Hutchinson said: “We want to express our unwavering support with all students, and solidarity to staff who may be impacted.”