Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve recruitment and retention in the midwifery service.

NHS England recently announced a £127 million investment to increase staffing numbers in maternity and neonatal services. This is in addition to £95 million allocated in 2021 to support the recruitment of 1,200 more midwives and 100 more consultant obstetricians. Health Education England is working with stakeholders to provide an additional 3,650 midwifery student training places by March 2023, leading to professional registration. In 2019/20, there were 626 additional places and 1,140 in 2020/21 and we are on schedule to meet the target for 2021/22.

The NHS People Plan includes a programme for organisations to retain staff through prioritising health and wellbeing, building an inclusive and compassionate culture in the National Health Service and strengthening support for flexible working. The NHS Retention Programme also seeks to understand why staff leave, resulting in targeted interventions to support staff to stay whilst keeping them well.