Hire Midwives. Save Lives.
Guarantee Jobs for Newly Qualified Midwives

My Story

I’m a final year student midwife, a mum of four, and I’ve worked for years to get here.

Becoming a midwife has always been my goal, but now, just months before qualifying, I’m facing the very real possibility of having no job.

When I started my degree, I was told there would be a job at the end. That guarantee has now been taken away because of lack of funding.

Over the past three years, I’ve completed more than 2,300 hours on placement. I have worked long days, nights, weekends and on call. I’ve cared for women and babies in busy, often understaffed maternity units. I’ve seen wards close and staff stretched thin, with agency workers brought in to fill the gaps.

There is clearly a need for midwives. But newly qualified midwives like me are being turned away.

I’m also graduating with significant debt because in England, student midwives are expected to fund their own training.

I’m not alone. Thousands of student and newly qualified midwives across England are facing the same reality.

That’s why I helped found Fund Future Midwives UK, a student led campaign calling for change.

Our main ask is simple:

• Guaranteed job opportunities for all newly qualified midwives

We also want:
• Debt cancellation after a set number of years working in the NHS • Fair and realistic bursaries that reflect the demands of training

This isn’t just about us. It’s about safe maternity care.

We are trained, we are ready, and we want to work.

Please support us.

 
The Issue
Britain says there is a maternity staffing crisis. So why are newly qualified midwives being denied jobs?

Maternity services across the UK are struggling with unsafe staffing levels, burnout and repeated warnings from national reviews. Yet newly qualified midwives, who have completed more than 2,300 clinical hours and often graduate with more than £40,000 of debt, are being turned away because trusts say they lack funding.

This contradiction is putting families at risk.

New midwives are trained, qualified and ready to work. Preventing them from entering the workforce while services remain understaffed is a maternity safety issue, and it is entirely preventable.

We are calling on the Government and NHS leaders to guarantee job opportunities for newly qualified midwives and protect the future of maternity care.

 
What student midwives are saying.

“I’m graduating with £60,000 debt and no job.”

“I left a stable career to train as a midwife because I believed the NHS needed us. After years of placements, nights and unpaid labour, I am going to qualify into unemployment.”

“I’ve watched exhausted midwives break down on shift.”

“We are constantly told maternity services are understaffed. I don’t understand why trained midwives are being turned away.”

“I love midwifery, but I cannot afford months without work after qualifying.”

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