Midwives: Graduate Guarantee

Baroness Walmsley Excerpts

Tuesday 21st April 2026 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Baroness Walmsley]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what progress they have made towards achieving the graduate guarantee for newly qualified midwives.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Baroness Merron) (Lab)]

My Lords, the graduate guarantee creates additional temporary registered midwife roles and enables newly qualified midwives to apply to join the NHS workforce. This supports the transition from education to employment. Since September, over 850 of these roles have been created, backed by £8 million. This includes part-time and full-time jobs. NHS England is working closely with universities and employers to align graduate numbers with vacancies through improved workforce planning, enhanced support for students and co-ordinated local recruitment.

[Baroness Walmsley (LD)]

I thank the Minister for her Answer. The graduate guarantee is very welcome but, already, 31% of newly qualified midwives do not have a job or are on fixed-term contracts. First, how will the Government ensure that workforce planning is aligned to the number of posts available so that the skills of newly qualified cohorts are not wasted? Secondly, given the concerns about unsafe workloads in midwifery and maternity services, how will midwives have the time to discuss with their clients health issues such as diet and vaccination?

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

On the second point, the noble Baroness is quite right: it is important that midwives have that time. That is what we anticipate will be the case—I refer her to the forthcoming workforce plan, which will improve the situation. With regard to the position that the noble Baroness describes, I agree that this needs sorting out, and I recognise the figures that she has shared. That is why we have brought in the graduate guarantee scheme—so that we can get people from their training and education into the NHS and can ensure that midwives are recruited on the basis of looking to the future rather than of the existing headcount. So we are future-proofing this.