Job boost for newly qualified nurses and midwives

• Qualified nurses and midwives given better job opportunities upon graduation with new Graduate Guarantee  

• New support for both graduates and Trusts to improve recruitment processes and ensure a seamless transition from training to employment 

• Better staffing of the NHS part of Plan for Change to build an NHS fit for the future and improve care for patients

Thousands of new jobs will be unlocked across the healthcare sector thanks to government action to make sure there are enough jobs for every newly qualified nurse and midwife in England.

The government's Graduate Guarantee will ensure thousands of new posts are easier to access by removing barriers for trusts, creating a wealth of opportunities for graduates and ensuring a seamless transition from training to employment.  

These new measures aim to tackle graduates' concerns about job availability, after record numbers of people chose to study nursing during the pandemic, whilst fewer nurses and midwives leave the profession.

While this demonstrates real progress in health professionals choosing to stay and thrive in their NHS careers, it has created barriers in the workforce– with up to three times as many graduates as there are vacancies in some areas.

To address this, the government has committed to a comprehensive package of reform and support, which will see more healthcare professionals deployed across a wide variety of sectors, improving access for patients as part of our Plan for Change.  

 This package comes as a result of collegiate and good faith working between government, the Royal College of Midwives, and the Royal College of Nursing, demonstrating that by working together, the NHS, patients, and staff all benefit.  

 Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, said:   

It is absurd that we are training thousands of nurses and midwives every year, only to leave them without a job before their career has started.

No one who dedicates themselves to a nursing or midwifery career should be left in limbo, when their skills are so urgently needed in the effort to rebuild our NHS

I am sending a clear message to every newly qualified nurse and midwife  We're here to support you from day one so you can provide the best care for patients and cut waiting lists. This new guarantee will benefit nurses, midwives and patients, helping to build an NHS fit for the future as part of our Plan for Change.

NHS providers will begin recruiting newly qualified nurses and midwives before vacancies formally arise, with trusts supported to employ staff based on projected need rather than headcount, ensuring the NHS has the right number of staff to provide the best possible care to patients everywhere.

Additionally, every newly qualified nurse and midwife will receive the backing they need to succeed in their first role, which includes an online hub with important information and advice for those applying for roles. 

Vacant maternity support worker posts will be temporarily converted to Band 5 midwifery roles, backed by £8 million to create new opportunities specifically for newly qualified midwives and further ease the recruitment strain.  

Chief Nursing Officer for England, Duncan Burton, said:

Having been a student nurse, I know how important it is to feel supported, valued, and able to get on with the job you have trained so hard to do.

Every nurse and midwife deserves the guarantee of a job to apply for when they graduate, so we're unlocking more opportunities right across health and care and providing refreshed online advice and support with applications to help ensure a smooth transition into employment.

We have more nurses and midwives than ever before choosing to stay working in the NHS, which is fantastic for patients, but we must ensure our newest graduates get the same opportunity to put their skills and passion to use without frustrating delays.

Royal College of Nursing General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger said:

Our student members have led the way in calling for ministers and healthcare leaders to provide certainty and clarity on jobs. Today's announcement is welcome news that should provide hope to students as they come towards the end of their education and training.

When the health service urgently needs nursing staff, it was absurd to leave people in limbo. The test of this will be if students can find jobs, vacant posts are filled, and patients receive the care they deserve.

Ministers have to continue listening to nursing staff who are crying out to have their critical work valued, today's action takes us all a little closer.

Gill Walton, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives, said: 

We're pleased that the Government has listened to the voices of student midwives who are desperate to start their career, only to find those opportunities blocked. I know today's announcement will come as a relief to so many of the RCM's student midwife members.

These are people, mainly women, who have worked incredibly hard to complete their degree and are trained and ready to support our current midwifery workforce at a time when so many maternity services are under pressure. Ensuring we have the right midwifery staff, in the right places, at the right time with the right education and training has never been so crucial as services are striving to improve safety.

Today's new package of support is centred in patient care, and the nursing and midwifery workforce,  signalling a fundamental shift towards valuing and nurturing newly qualified professionals from day one of their careers, backed by investing in training and guaranteeing employment opportunities.  

For newly qualified nurses and midwives, these changes mean greater certainty and access to a wide and diverse range of roles.

For the health service, they mean better workforce planning, improved retention, and enhanced capacity to deliver patient care. For patients, they mean shorter waiting times and access to a well-supported, confident workforce.  

Our Plan for Change is already delivering on making the NHS fit for the future, by working with staff to improve working conditions and ultimately patients experience.

Paul Rees MBE, Chief Executive and Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), said:

A guaranteed opportunity for a role after years of hard work in education is excellent news for future nursing and midwifery graduates. It means highly trained professionals can move into roles more quickly, utilising their skills and knowledge for the benefit of patients and communities.

This is critically important at a time of rising demand for health and social care. We will continue working to place all new graduates on our register quickly and safely, so they can begin their roles at the earliest opportunity.

Steph Lawrence MBE, Chief Executive at The Queen's Institute of Community Nursing, said:

The QICN welcomes this news which will ensure we retain our newly registered nurses and also give them a good start to their journey as a registered nurse. It will be essential to ensure this occurs across all sectors of the NHS and in particular in community, given the shift from hospital to community.

Vivienne Stern MBE, Chief Executive at Universities UK, said:

Our healthcare graduates power the NHS and this guarantee of additional support into employment is good news for students, the NHS, and the country. This commitment comes at the perfect time as thousands of healthcare students prepare to start their university experience.

Our NHS is the envy of the world, and our universities stand ready to strengthen their partnerships with the NHS to deliver the workforce pipeline on which the future health sector depends.