More than eight out of 10 student midwives due to qualify this
year say that are ‘not confident' they will find a job once
graduating despite maternity services across the UK struggling
with understaffing, according to a new survey published today by
the Royal College of Midwives (RCM).
The RCM says three-quarters (75%) of those due to complete their
courses who responded to the survey have already applied for
jobs, but the challenge they face in securing a job post
qualification is huge. This is despite the College's estimate
that the NHS remains seriously short of midwives, with many
services struggling with understaffing. Some have even had to
close temporarily due to unsafe levels of staffing.
The RCM says funding cuts and recruitment freezes have tied the
hands of midwifery managers who are crying out for staff, but
they can't hire any or as many midwives as they need.
Calling on governments in all four nations to take urgent action,
the RCM says this escalating crisis is due to a clear failure to
align workforce planning with the reality of the care needs of
women and families. While previous governments have sought to
increase student numbers in an acknowledgement of the need for
more midwives, this much-needed increase has not been accounted
for in the number of staff, known as the staffing establishment,
required for maternity services.
Commenting, the RCM's Director of Midwifery, Fiona Gibb,
said:
“Report after report cites understaffing as a factor in the
delivery of safe care, and midwives consistently share with us
that there are too few of them to deliver the best care they know
they can. We also hear firsthand from women of how overstretched
staff struggle to care for them on busy maternity wards. Despite
this, midwifery graduates face uncertainty, with too few
vacancies for them to begin work upon qualification. It's
beggars' belief that, despite the Westminster Government
recognising the need to increase student places, the new midwives
who are now ready are finding that the jobs simply aren't there.
We know we need more midwives, it's widely acknowledged even by
politicians, but there's clearly been a failure to align
workforce planning to the much-needed increase.
Many student members who spoke to the RCM about their concerns
mentioned the debt they had accrued to train as a midwife, and
worried how they would pay back their loans with no jobs after
the qualify, while many have been told by Trusts the lack of jobs
is down to a lack of funding for posts.
Fiona continued:
“Since the removal of the bursary our student midwives have
accrued thousands of pounds worth of debt to train to become
midwives and now are facing the prospect no employment, despite
services across the country crying out for staff, it's a very
worrying trend.”
Responding to the RCM's survey one student midwife told
the RCM:
“It's dire. Only eight jobs became available at one trust and
over 40 were shortlisted for it including myself. No jobs at my
home trust at all and many did not get offered interviews for the
other local trust which closed early as they were flooded with
applications. I'm really scared for my future and that I've
accumulated so much student debt and the overall stress of the
course and can't even get my dream job at the end. I am
absolutely devastated and feel like I've let my family
down”.
While another said:
“Most NHS trusts are saying that the lack of jobs is due to
lack in funding and it's worrying as for studying for 3 years you
would hope to secure a job after especially with the debt we are
left with after studying”.
The RCM has previously raised the alarm on the financial
pressures facing student midwives, particularly in England in its
State of UK Midwifery Student Finance report published last year.
It's also highlighted the fact that many of those choosing to
studying midwifery are older students, who bring a wealth of life
experience and will make excellent midwives but often have
childcare and other caring responsibilities as well as mortgages.
This has come through strongly in survey, with one midwife on the
cusp of qualifying telling the RCM:
“There are seven hospitals in the pan-Birmingham area, none
of which have released jobs for newly qualified students yet.
Those that are releasing jobs will do so next month and students
have been warned there are not many being released. One
Trust has already disclosed that they have no funding for newly
qualified posts at the moment. There is a high chance I will
graduate with no job. I'm 47-year-old with four children and a
mortgage and don't have the option to apply out of my local
region.”
Fiona added:
“This isn't only about midwives not being able to secure jobs in
their locations of choice, over half of our member who responded
to this survey said they would be willing to move to another UK
region to secure employment, but they are facing more of the same
recruitment freezes. Having enough midwives, in the right places,
with the right skills and training is fundamental to the safety
improvements that are desperately needed across maternity
services. How many more times do we have to say that before the
governments truly listen and take action? We are calling on all
four national UK governments to review their midwifery workforce
planning approach and call a halt to the recruitment freezes that
are preventing women and their families from receiving the care
they need and deserve.”
