According to campaigners, newly qualified midwives are working as receptionists or administrators because the number of advertised posts does not match the numbers being trained. Students and graduates are protesting under a campaign called Fund Future Midwives UK, with demonstrations in Norwich, Manchester and Birmingham.
The Royal College of Midwives surveyed newly qualified members earlier this year and found almost one in three (31%) had not secured jobs. Students protesting in Norwich said the outlook for those qualifying this summer may be worse. In a webinar on 17 March facilitated by NHS England Workforce, Training and Education, students were told there could be about 55 midwifery vacancies in the East of England for around 300 students qualifying this year — roughly one job for every five graduates. Students say there is a clear gap between training numbers and available posts and are calling for guaranteed employment.
I've had to sell my house.
The government said it sympathised and had funded 700 new midwifery posts costing £8m. But graduates say jobs remain scarce despite government funding. Student midwives must complete 2,300 hours of unpaid clinical practice including on-call shifts while paying tuition fees and placement travel expenses. Students receive a £5,000-a-year training bursary which does not have to be repaid. Questions are being raised about whether public money is wasted if graduates cannot find work.
Hollie Thornhill, 25, from Norwich, qualified as a midwife in 2025 and is currently working as a receptionist at a spa. She has applied for seven midwifery jobs in 12 months. Emily, 30, from Mid Norfolk, is a third-year student midwife and former air traffic controller who retrained after forming a close relationship with her own midwife during the birth of her son. She had to sell her house and moved in with a family member to support her training. Many mature students on Emily's course took similar risks because of what they had heard about a national shortage of midwives.
My family have stepped in to support me with childcare. I moved in with another family member.
It was a sacrifice I was more than willing to make, because I believed I would have a job at the end of it.
heartbreaking