Midwifery Training Pledge: Progress & Data Analysis

We have asked the Division of Health and Social Treatment (DHSC) concerning this, and whether it has actually dedicated to an extra certain target for the number of midwives to be trained, however we have yet to obtain a feedback.

Midwifery Training Numbers: Impact Analysis

The impact of any type of changes in midwifery training numbers under Work on real NHS labor force numbers consequently will not be seen for a number of years. We do have numbers showing the number of individuals beginning midwifery training.

It’s uncertain what this pledge actually implies and exactly how development against it must be gauged. Details of initiatives to educate thousands much more midwives will certainly develop component of the NHS Workforce Strategy, which is because of be released in the summer.

Understanding the Midwifery Pledge

According to the most recent offered information, which is preliminary and hides to February 2025, there were 23,544 full time equivalent (FTE) midwives working in NHS England in July 2024, the month the present government entered into workplace.

We are presently ranking this pledge as “vague or disputed”. We have not been informed by the DHSC whether this commitment suggests thousands a lot more midwives being educated annually at the end of the parliament compared to July 2024; thousands a lot more trained over the entire parliament; or thousands even more being educated, over the existing numbers educated, and compared to previous plans to raise that number.

NHS England has stated that recent boosts in the number of midwives are a result of enhanced uptake on midwifery courses under previous federal governments, as well as other elements like international recruitment.

Tracking Progress: Midwifery Course Uptake

In the lack of any type of clarification from the federal government, since the pledge is to “train” thousands more midwives, we recommend using data on those accepted onto higher education midwifery courses in England as the very best available sign for development on this pledge.

Work’s statement of belief devoted to training “thousands a lot more midwives”. The promise appeared to be declared by the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in February 2025, when he described “recruiting thousands of brand-new midwives”, yet without offering an extra specific number, and the federal government does not show up to have actually committed to a specific number.

As Work did not established one out in its manifesto, it is hard to understand what timeframe this promise applies to, whether it suggests training “thousands” more midwives a year or over the course of the parliament.

Different data from UCAS reveals the variety of UK-domiciled candidates approved onto midwifery programs in England was 3,450 in 2023 and 3,405 in 2024. Comparable varieties of UK trainees are finishing from English midwifery training courses, according to the Higher Education Stats Firm, which informed us around 3,200 people gained midwifery credentials in 2023/24.

The pledge is to “train” thousands more midwives, not merely to boost the number of midwives working in the NHS. (For instance, some midwives operating in the NHS will have trained outside of England or the UK).

Midwives Trained vs. NHS Workforce

It’s likewise worth keeping in mind that if the government satisfies its pledge to train “thousands” a lot more midwives, this doesn’t always suggest the number of midwives benefiting NHS England will certainly boost by the exact same quantity.