It has been known for years that there is a shortfall of qualified midwives globally. Subsequent governments across England have failed to address the potential impact of the COVID pandemic, midwives retirement and leaving due to exacerbated pressure. So it is shocking that there are no posts available for newly qualified students. Safia Saad and Madison Chilcott student midwives and organisers for Fund Future Midwives highlight the reasons for their campaign to ensure the future of midwifery in the UK.
Maternity services across the country are under unprecedented pressure. Midwives are stretched thin. Students feel it on every shift. And yet, a shocking reality persists: the students training to fill those gaps are being left without jobs.
We started Fund Future Midwives UK because we couldn’t stay quiet any longer. We deserve employment. Women and birthing people deserve safe care. And right now, neither of those things is being guaranteed.
The reality we’re facing
Over 2,800 student midwives are qualifying in England this year. In recent months, fewer than 10 jobs have been advertised nationally. That means roughly 0.36% of us can expect to secure employment.
Let that sink in.
Through Freedom of Information requests to NHS Trusts, we’ve uncovered just how deep this crisis runs. In Manchester alone, 117 student midwives are training across three sites: yet only 13 vacancies are expected between September and December 2026. That leaves over 100 students facing unemployment, many with months of no income ahead.
Midwifery demands everything from us. We work long shifts, nights, weekends, and bank holidays. We travel miles to placements. We pay to work. Personally, midway through my second year, I’m already carrying over £40,000 in student debt; a figure that will only grow.
And for what? No job at the end? No opportunity to do the work we trained so hard for?
This cannot continue.
Why we must speak up
I know that raising your voice can feel frightening. Many of us worry about being seen as difficult, about burning bridges before our careers have even started, about standing out when all we want is to fit in and do our jobs.
I understand that fear. I’ve felt it too.
But here is what I keep coming back to: advocacy is at the very heart of midwifery. Every day, we are taught to speak up for the women, birthing people, and families in our care. We learn to challenge unsafe practices, to question decisions, to be the voice for someone who may not feel able to use their own.
So I have to ask — if we cannot advocate for ourselves, how will we ever truly advocate for the people we serve?
Speaking up is not about being confrontational. It’s about refusing to accept a system that trains us, takes everything from us, and then tells us there’s no place for us. It’s about saying: we are worth more than this, and so are the communities that need us.
Your voice matters. Whether it shakes or whether it’s steady – it matters. Every petition signed, every letter written, every conversation started with a friend or family member builds something bigger than any one of us alone.
We are not asking for special treatment. We are asking for the chance to do the work we were called to do.
What we’re doing about it
We have already taken action, with protests across London, Birmingham, and Manchester. And every single one has reminded us why this fight matters.
In Manchester, we gathered in St Peter’s Square. What happened there was something special. Student midwives stood alongside qualified midwives, some of whom had been in the profession for decades. Retired midwives came out to support us because they know what is at stake. Members of the public who care deeply about maternity services joined us in solidarity, some bringing their young children with them. We stopped and talked with people passing through the square, and what struck me most was how many of them already understood. They listened, they asked questions, and they shared their own experiences of a maternity system under strain. Those conversations reminded us that this crisis is not invisible — people see it, people feel it, and people want it to change.
That is what advocacy looks like. Not just placards and chants, but real human connection. Standing together and saying: this matters to all of us.
And we are not stopping.
Join us at our upcoming demonstrations:
- Norwich — City Hall, 18th April 2026 at 2pm
- London — 5th May 2026 (International Day of the Midwife)
- Brighton — 16th May 2026
More details for London and Brighton are coming soon.
How you can help
This is bigger than a student issue. This is about the future of maternity care in this country.
Get involved:
- Sign our petition
- Write to your MP using our template
- Support our crowdfunder
- Share this with your family, friends, and colleagues
Raise your voice — as we are raising ours.
We demand change. And we demand it now.
By Safia Saad and Madison Chilcott
Student Midwives
April 2026