Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of midwives working in the NHS in England were members of the NHS Pension Scheme (a) in December 2017 and (b) in the most recent period for which data is available; and what the age profile of midwife members of the scheme was.
In December 2017 there were 26,356 midwives working for National Health Service trusts and core organisations in England, of which it is estimated that approximately 91% were members of the NHS Pension Scheme. The most recent data available shows that in July 2021, there were 26,556 midwives, of which approximately 90% were members of the NHS Pension Scheme. The following table shows the estimated proportion of midwives by age group with a membership in the NHS Pension Scheme in December 2017 and July 2021.
| July 2021 | December 2017 |
Under 25 years old | 94% | 94% |
25 to 34 years old | 89% | 89% |
35 to 44 years old | 90% | 93% |
45 to 54 years old | 94% | 96% |
55 to 64 years old | 87% | 86% |
Over 65 years old | 58% | 25% |
All ages | 90% | 91% |
Source: NHS Digital Workforce Statistics, Departmental analysis of Electronic Staff Record