Midwife

Midwives care for pregnant people, before, during and after the birth. They also care for the baby. They prepare for the birth, advise on the care of new-born babies, and give practical and emotional advice and support. This career is open to all.

Work activities

Midwives care for and support pregnant people and their babies, from the start of the pregnancy to the first part of postnatal care. They enable pregnant people and their partners to plan for and manage the time in which the person is pregnant, and the birth. A pregnant person’s first contact with the midwife will usually come early in the pregnancy. This might be in an antenatal clinic or in their own home. Some midwives are involved in family planning services, for example, giving advice to partners who want to have a baby. More midwives now work in the community, in places such as local clinics, GP surgeries and children’s centres (as well as visiting patients in their own homes). Others work in traditional hospital-based posts.

Throughout the pregnancy and after the birth, the pregnant person might not always see the same midwife. This is because a midwife might spend some time working in the community, some time at an antenatal clinic and some time in a hospital ward. However, it is increasingly the case that midwives follow their clients from pregnancy to the birth and afterwards (up until a month after the birth). The midwife records details of the pregnant person’s medical history and assesses their health, giving advice on issues such as nutrition. The midwife must establish a close, trusting relationship with the pregnant person. They will need to discuss a number of issues, such as where the birth is to take place (for example, at home or in a hospital) and how the pregnant person feels about different types of pain relief. Sometimes, midwives work with people who have personal or social difficulties. They could be very young, homeless, disabled or marginalised, for example. The midwife will liaise with relevant sources of support, such as social services departments, to make sure the pregnant person receives the help she needs. If the person chooses a home birth, their care will be continued by a community-based midwife.

Midwives examine the pregnant person and unborn baby regularly throughout the pregnancy, to find out whether there are any problems with either of them. Most pregnancies are absolutely normal, but the midwife will refer anything unusual to a doctor. They also offer counselling, support and education to pregnant people and their partners, often through parentcraft classes. These classes help future parents to prepare for the arrival of their baby and develop confidence in themselves as parents. Throughout their work, midwives are part of a team, working alongside people such as GP, hospital doctors, health visitors, nurses and support staff, including maternity support workers. They also work alone and have a lot of responsibility.

Midwives are involved in delivering babies – both in hospital and for home births. They are responsible for the delivery, and the care and support of a woman during labour, referring to a doctor if there are complications. Following the birth, midwives continue to help the parents to look after the baby, giving advice on feeding and baby care, and ensuring that the birth parent is well. Midwives can continue care for up to 28 days, at which point the health visitor takes over. Some midwives and nurses specialise in looking after babies who are sick or born prematurely. They are known as neonatal nurses. In the event of a miscarriage or stillbirth, the midwife will offer support, counselling and advice to the parents. The midwife will refer the family to specialist support services in the event that a baby is born with an impairment. 

Personal qualities and skills

To be a midwife, you’ll need:

• The ability to build a close, trusting relationship with pregnant person and their partner.
• An open mind and flexible attitude, to respect and meet each person’s wishes.
• Communication skills to discuss issues and explain aspects of pregnancy and birth clearly.
• An interest in science and the body.
• The ability to use a range of technical equipment.
• Practical skills for routine examinations.
• Observational skills to notice any complications in the pregnancy.
• Teamwork skills, for example, to work alongside hospital doctors (such as obstetricians), GP and nurses.
• To be able to keep up to date with new procedures.
• Initiative and the ability to take responsibility, for example, during the delivery of babies.
• Awareness of, and sensitivity to, different cultural ideas about childbirth.

Pay and opportunities

NHS employees are paid on the Agenda for Change payscale, according to their skills and responsibilities. The pay rates are correct as of December 2023. Midwives usually start on band 5 and can rise to 8c as a midwife consultant. This puts yearly pay between £28,407 and £81,138.

Midwives usually work a basic 37.5-hour week. Shift work is usual, some employers offer flexitime working, and overtime is common.

Employers are the NHS (in hospitals and in the community) and private health companies. Opportunities for midwives occur in towns, cities and rural areas throughout the UK.

There are also opportunities to work in the private sector as a registered self-employed, independent midwife. Independent Midwives UK represents this group of midwives.

What’s happening in this work area?

Some parts of England face severe shortages of midwives, while there are limited shortages in other parts. Overall, the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) says that 5,000 extra midwives are needed across England to cope with new demands, caused by factors such as the growing number of older pregnant people who need extra support. The Department of Health says that record numbers of midwives are being trained.

Where are vacancies advertised?

Vacancies are advertised in local/national newspapers, on the Government’s Find a Job service, on the NHS Jobs website, and on job boards.

Entry routes and training

The direct route to registration as a midwife is through a pre-registration degree in midwifery. You don’t need to have trained first as a nurse to take the course (although this is another option). The degree combines academic study, in areas such as anatomy, physiology and sociology, with practical experience in maternity services. Completing the degree leads to state registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) - a requirement to practise as a midwife in the UK.

You could take further training to specialise in areas such as the intensive care of newborn babies, family planning, teaching, research or management. It’s also possible to become a consultant midwife, giving clinical leadership to midwives and other people in maternity services.

You can also become a midwife by undertaking a level 6 (degree) apprenticeship. This route allows you to spend more of your time training in the workplace as opposed to studying in an academic setting. You will complete your training with the same qualifications as someone who goes down the academic route.

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act: This career is an exception to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. This means that you must supply information to an employer about any spent or unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands or warnings, if they ask you to. This is different from other careers, where you only have to reveal information on unspent convictions if you are asked to.

Qualifications

For entry to a degree course in midwifery, the usual requirements are:

• Two to three A-levels. Some universities ask for a science subject; they might specify biology.
• GCSEs at grades 9-4 in your A-level subjects.
• A further two to three GCSEs at grades 9-4.

Specified subjects can be English, maths and science or biology. Equivalent qualifications, such as Edexcel (BTEC) level 3 Nationals and the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma, might be acceptable for entry – please check prospectuses carefully.

Adult opportunities

Age limits: It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Related careers

• District Nurse
• Health visitor
• Nurse
• Nurse – adult/general
• Nurse – children
• Nursery nurse