The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) have released figures which show the number of midwives registered to work in the UK increased over the last 12 months.

The number of midwives registered to work in the UK increased from 35,830 in 2018 to 36,916 in 2019.

Nurses and midwives registering to work in the UK from outside of the EU, increased by 126% over the last year, rising from 2,720 to 6,157.

Commenting on the increase, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), Gill Walton, said: “The fact that the UK is training more midwives and nurses here is a very positive step and I want to see this trend continue. I am also pleased to see more of our colleagues from across the world coming to the UK.”

The figures also show a decline in the number of nurses and midwives from within the EU joining the NMC register or renewing, with a 13% drop in registrations across two years.

51% of nurses and midwives from within the EU, who left the register and responded to the survey, stated Brexit as a reason for encouraging them to consider working outside the UK.

“The RCM has been shouting loudly about the impact of Brexit on our NHS staff from other EU countries and this is further proof of that. The Government need to ensure that we keep the door open for EU midwives in the future who may want to work in our maternity services,” Gill Walton added.

11,000 nurses and midwives who left the register over a 6-month period were asked to complete a survey on their reasons for leaving.

Findings from that survey showed that the top reason for leaving was retirement, with almost a third saying there was too much pressure leading to stress and/or mental health problems.

The number of nurses and midwives on the NMC register under the age of 30 is growing, while the number of registrants aged 31-50 declined over the last year.

 

 

 

Source: https://www.midirs.org/number-of-midwives-registered-to-work-in-the-uk-increases-says-nmc-data/