Rising numbers of younger midwives quitting NHS in England, data shows

More and more midwives are leaving the NHS before they reach 35 because of burnout, worsening the staffing problems that are affecting maternity units.

The growing trend of early career quitting has sparked fears it poses a threat to the quality and safety of care that mothers and babies receive from already-understaffed childbirth services.

During 2025-26 a total of 1,669 midwives aged 34 or under left the health service in England – more than half (57%) of the 2,949 midwives of all ages who resigned.

The intense pressures of working in maternity services, including the growing complexity of childbirth and risks involved, are thought to lie behind the trend.

Of last year’s 1,669 younger leavers, 205 were under 25, while 655 were between 25 and 29 and the other 809 were between 30 and 34, parliamentary questions tabled by the Liberal Democrats reveal.

The loss of midwifery staff and students underlines what the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) calls the “staffing emergency” in maternity care across the UK.

Three-quarters of midwives have considered leaving the profession over the last year, mainly because of concern over staffing levels and patient safety, a recent RCM survey found.

Hannah Leonard, the union’s deputy chief midwife, said the exodus of midwives under 35 was “deeply worrying” and showed that too many were ending up “burnt-out within a few years of qualifying because every shift means too few colleagues, missed breaks and unpaid hours”.

“Losing these midwives – and students, even before they qualify – is a terrible waste of talent,” she added.

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Source: The Guardian, 20 July 2026