More than 1,600 midwives aged 34 or under left the NHS in England in 2025-26, accounting for 57% of all midwife resignations, according to data obtained by the Liberal Democrats. The exodus highlights a growing trend of early career burnout that is worsening staffing shortages in maternity units.
Burnout driving early departures
The intense pressures of working in maternity services, including increasing complexity of childbirth and associated risks, are believed to be behind the trend. Of the 1,669 younger leavers, 205 were under 25, 655 were aged 25-29, and 809 were aged 30-34. The number of midwives under 35 quitting has risen 59% since 2014-15, when 1,051 left.
Student dropout rates add to concerns
Almost one in four midwifery students are dropping out before completing their three-year degree. In 2021, 3,565 students started a midwifery degree, but only 2,725 graduated in 2024, meaning 840 (24%) did not finish. Midwifery students spend most of their second and third years learning on the job in maternity units.
Staffing emergency in maternity care
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) describes the loss of midwifery staff and students as a “staffing emergency”. A recent RCM survey found three-quarters of midwives have considered leaving the profession in the past year, mainly due to concerns over staffing levels and patient safety.
Hannah Leonard, the RCM’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”. She added: “Losing these midwives – and students, even before they qualify – is a terrible waste of talent.”
Impact on patient safety
Both recent large-scale reviews of maternity care in England, by Donna Ockenden and Valerie Amos, identified lack of staff as a key problem endangering patient safety. Helen Morgan, the Liberal Democrat health spokesperson, said: “These statistics reveal an alarming crisis in maternity, with far too many midwives burning out early in their career and in their training. Patients are paying the price, and mothers are left with no alternative but to give birth on understaffed and unsafe wards.
“Rather than throw money at yet more new recruits who quit under intolerable pressure, the government needs a new approach. Through guaranteeing protected, year-round training and professional development we can help midwives cope with rising complexity and risk.”
High turnover among younger midwives
About 10% of all midwives quit the NHS every year, but the rate is higher among younger staff: one in seven (14.6%) of 25- to 29-year-olds and one in six (16.6%) of those aged 30-34 left during 2025-26.
Government response
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) did not respond directly to the figures. A spokesperson said: “Under this government we have a record number of midwives in the workforce and we value the vital service they provide in maternity and neonatal units across the country.
“To make the NHS the best employer it can be, we have introduced new NHS staff standards to improve health and wellbeing support, promote flexible working, as well as crucial measures to tackle violence, sexual harassment or abuse and racism.
“Alongside consecutive above-inflation pay rises, we’ve bolstered the midwifery workforce through our graduate guarantee and recently opened up 1,000 more midwifery roles backed by £10m to help prevent student midwives leaving the profession.”
A record 25,500 full-time-equivalent midwives are working in the NHS, 2,000 more than when the Labour government took office in July 2024, DHSC figures show.
