A growing number of young midwives are leaving the NHS in England, with 1,669 midwives aged 34 or under resigning in 2025-26, accounting for 57% of the 2,949 midwives of all ages who quit. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
The trend is raising concerns about the quality and safety of maternity care, as burnout from intense workloads and increasing complexity of childbirth drives early career exits.
According to parliamentary questions by the Liberal Democrats, of the 1,669 younger leavers, 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.
Additionally, nearly one in four midwifery students drop out before completing their three-year degree. In 2021, 3,565 students started, but only 2,725 graduated in 2024, meaning 840 (24%) did not finish.
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) calls this a "staffing emergency." A recent RCM survey found three-quarters of midwives considered leaving the profession in the past year, mainly due to staffing levels and patient safety concerns.
Hannah Leonard, RCM deputy chief midwife, said: "The exodus of midwives under 35 is deeply worrying. Too many end up burnt-out within a few years of qualifying because every shift means too few colleagues, missed breaks and unpaid hours."
Helen Morgan, Lib Dem health spokesperson, said: "These statistics reveal an alarming crisis in maternity. Patients are paying the price, and mothers are left with no alternative but to give birth on understaffed and unsafe wards."
About 10% of all midwives leave the NHS annually, but the rate is higher among younger groups: 14.6% of 25-29-year-olds and 16.6% of 30-34-year-olds left in 2025-26.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) did not directly respond to the figures. A spokesperson said: "Under this government we have a record number of midwives. We have introduced new staff standards, above-inflation pay rises, and opened 1,000 more midwifery roles."
DHSC figures show a record 25,500 full-time-equivalent midwives working in the NHS, 2,000 more than when the Labour government took office in July 2024.