Figures published today by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) show an increase in the numbers of midwives and nurses leaving the NMC’s register. At the same time, the numbers joining the register have slowed down resulting in an overall reduction in the numbers of nurses and midwives registered to work in the UK.
Scotland has seen the biggest decline: the number of nurses and midwives registering to work in Scotland has fallen for the third year in a row. There were 1,200 fewer registered in March of this year than in 2014.
Commenting on the figures, Jon Skewes, Director for Policy, Employment Relations and Communications at the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), said: “These are worrying figures for maternity services and for a profession that is already 3500 midwives short of the numbers needed in England, and with retirement bulges threatening future shortages in other UK countries.
“It is important to know what is driving this reduction. I have no doubt that the incredible pressures midwives are under due to increasing demands on services are a factor here. This combined with years of pay freezes and pay restraint has left our health professionals demoralised and disillusioned, and it is no surprise many are leaving.
“What is clear is that all UK Governments need to look urgently at the recruitment and retention of midwives and other health professionals. They also need to invest in more staff and resources, and to lift the pay cap imposed on NHS staff so that midwives are rewarded fairly for the work they do.“
The RCM’s on research about why midwives leave the profession showed that midwives were being driven out of the profession by excessive workloads and poor staffing levels. The report – ‘Why Midwives Leave – revisited’ – published in October 2016 details a survey of over two-thousand midwives across the UK who had left the profession in the previous two years or were intending to leave within two years. Over half (52%) said they had left or were planning to leave because they were not happy with staffing levels. A similar number (48%) said they were unhappy with the quality of care they were able to give.
See below to read the RCM report ‘Why Midwives Leave – revisited’
Why Midwives Leave Revisted – October 2016
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