Midwives: Training
(asked on 10th January 2019) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the cost of training a student midwife is paid by (a) the student, (b) his Department and (c) other sources.
In England, the initial cost of training a midwife is paid by the Government. Part of this is in the form of student loan outlay, which the student accesses for tuition fees and maintenance loans from the Student Loans Company.
The following table shows indicative Government costs for each year of training a midwife who lives outside of London and away from home. It shows the maximum possible amount of each payment type available. Midwifery courses typically last three years.
Additional funding to students may also be available through the Student Loans Company and the Learning Support Fund. This is available to those with adult and child dependants, and for those in exceptional hardship. They may also be eligible for reimbursement of additional travel costs to attend clinical placements.
The amount shown in the table is paid by the Department directly to hospital trusts for a student’s clinical placement.
The amount paid back by the student depends on how much they earn during their career. If the loan is not fully repaid after 30 years it is written off. For example, once a student enters the workforce they pay their loans back at a rate of 9% of their earnings over the repayment threshold of £25,000. This equates to £15 a month for a student earning £27,000 a year.
Systems in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are the responsibilities of the devolved administrations in each of those countries.
2018/19 Indicative cost to the Government of training a midwife for each year of their training
Payment type | Cost | Paid by |
Costs of training | ||
Tuition fee loan to the university | £9,250 | Initially by Student Loans Company. Paid back by the student over time depending on earnings. |
Clinical placement funding to the placement provider | £1,383 + Market Forces Factor | Department of Health and Social Care |
Additional costs for living support | ||
Maintenance loan to the student | £8,700 | Initially by Student Loans Company. Paid back by the student over time depending on earnings. |
Long courses loan to the student | £1,116 | |
Notes:
- Based on a student who lives away from their parents.
- Based on a student who lives outside of London and is eligible for the maximum amount of maintenance allowance available.
- Based on a student on a 42-week course, of which 20 weeks are on clinical placement.
- Placement funding includes Market Forces Factor (MFF). The MFF compensates for difference in the cost of providing training in different parts of the country.
Sources:
Tuition fee loan:
Maintenance loan:
Long courses loan:
Clinical placement funding: