Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department and NHS England have taken to ensure that Grade 5 training opportunities are available for midwives.

The Government has mandated Health Education England (HEE) to provide national leadership on education, training and workforce development in the National Health Service. This mandate includes a commitment that HEE will ensure midwifery training produces midwives with the required competencies to practise in the new NHS.

It is ultimately the responsibility of individual employers to support the development of the staff they employ. However, as part of its core remit HEE will work with Local Education and Training Boards, regulatory bodies and healthcare providers to ensure professional and personal development continues beyond the end of formal training.