Younger midwives leaving NHS in England at rising rate, data shows
7 reported
Data from parliamentary questions tabled by the Liberal Democrats shows that 1,669 midwives aged 34 or under left the NHS in England during 2025-26, representing 57% of the 2,949 midwives of all ages who resigned that year. The number of younger leavers has risen 59% compared to the 1,051 who left in 2014-15, according to NHS figures. The Royal College of Midwives described the situation as a "staffing emergency" in maternity care across the UK. The article reports that intense pressures in maternity services, including growing complexity of childbirth, are thought to be behind the trend. Additionally, separate figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats indicate that almost one in four midwifery students drop out before completing their three-year degree course. The Department of Health and Social Care did not respond directly to the figures but noted a record number of midwives in the workforce.
What’s reported
1,669 midwives aged 34 or under left the NHS in England in 2025-26, 57% of all resigning midwives.
Of those, 205 were under 25, 655 were aged 25-29, and 809 were aged 30-34.
The 2025-26 figure is 59% higher than the 1,051 who left in 2014-15.
24% of midwifery students who started a degree in 2021 (840 out of 3,565) did not graduate in 2024.
Three-quarters of midwives have considered leaving the profession in the last year, per a Royal College of Midwives survey.
About 10% of all midwives quit the NHS each year; 14.6% of 25-29 year olds and 16.6% of 30-34 year olds left in 2025-26.
A record 25,500 full-time-equivalent midwives are working in the NHS, 2,000 more than when the Labour government took office in July 2024.
Key figures
Hannah Leonard, deputy chief midwife of the Royal College of Midwives
Helen Morgan, Liberal Democrat health spokesperson
Donna Ockenden and Valerie Amos, authors of recent large-scale reviews of maternity care in England
Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spokesperson (unnamed)
Sources: The Guardian
