NHS Wales Jobs Unfilled as 63 New Midwives Wait 2026

Key Points

• 63 newly qualified midwives in Wales remain without NHS jobs while awaiting employment through the NHS Wales recruitment process.
• The number has fallen by five since June, when 68 midwifery graduates were reported to be without roles.
• Health Education and Improvement Wales said the situation is particularly challenging, with only a limited number of additional posts expected in autumn.
• The position for newly qualified nurses has improved more sharply, with the number without posts falling from 186 in June to 14.
• RCM Cymru has raised concerns about the shortage of midwifery jobs as its members report staffing pressures across maternity services.
• The union is seeking details of future vacancies and calling for a preceptorship route to help affected graduates enter the workforce.
• NHS Wales said work will continue through autumn as health boards identify roles and support graduates who remain without employment.

Wales (Wales Times) August 25, 2026 — 63 newly qualified midwives without NHS jobs in Wales remain unable to secure NHS posts, despite continuing concerns about workforce pressures within maternity services. The figure was confirmed in an update to third-year students issued on Tuesday, nearly two months after 68 graduate midwives were left without roles through Health Education and Improvement Wales’ streamlining process.

Nation.Cymru staff reported that the number of unmatched midwifery graduates had fallen by five since June. However, HEIW chief executive Alex Howells described the situation facing midwifery graduates as “particularly challenging”, warning that only a small number of additional posts were expected to be available during autumn.

That anticipated number of roles would not be enough to provide employment for every graduate who remains without a post, according to the update reported by Nation.Cymru.

The issue has prompted concern from RCM Cymru, the Welsh arm of the Royal College of Midwives. The organisation said the limited progress was difficult to reconcile with accounts from members who are working in maternity services and reporting staffing pressures.

ITV News Wales similarly reported that more than 60 newly qualified midwives remained without NHS jobs despite what it described as a continuing “desperate need” for maternity staff. NHS Wales told ITV that it would continue work through the autumn, with health boards identifying further opportunities and providing support for graduates yet to secure employment.

What did RCM Cymru say about the unfilled midwifery roles?

As reported by Nation.Cymru staff, RCM Cymru director Julie Richards said the union was “in disbelief” that 63 newly qualified midwives were ready to work but did not have jobs to go to.

Ms Richards said: “Our members are telling us about a birth centre suspended, community midwives being called in to keep services safe, specialist midwives pulled from clinical roles to cover gaps and high sickness levels linked to stress – it doesn’t add up.”

The RCM Cymru director linked the employment position of graduates to concerns raised by existing staff. Her statement did not specify which birth centre had been suspended, nor did the Nation.Cymru report identify individual health boards connected to the staffing accounts.

The union has repeatedly argued that safe staffing should be treated as a patient-safety issue. Nation.Cymru reported that national reviews have also identified the need for maternity services to have sufficient staff to deliver safe care.

A Senedd Research briefing published in June said concerns over the quality and safety of maternity and neonatal services in Wales had been raised repeatedly in national and local reviews. It said workforce pressures were a key issue, alongside matters including equipment, working environments, incident learning, triage arrangements and workplace culture.

The same briefing said health boards use a workforce-planning tool known as Birthrate Plus, along with local information, to estimate the midwifery staffing required for safe and appropriate care. It also noted a gap during 2026 between newly qualified graduates and NHS Wales posts available to them.

How does the midwifery situation compare with nursing graduates?

The latest position for nursing graduates is markedly different from that of midwifery graduates. Nation.Cymru reported that 186 newly qualified nurses had been without posts in June, but the number had since fallen to 14.

The disparity means the recruitment outlook has improved considerably for newly qualified nurses over the same period, while most midwifery graduates affected by the initial process remain unmatched.

HEIW had previously said that, after the initial allocation process, 383 nursing, midwifery and operating department practitioner graduates remained unmatched. That figure represented the broader cohort at that stage rather than the later midwifery-only total of 63.

Nursing Times reported in July that the gap between immediately available Band 5 vacancies and the number of new graduates stood at 79 for nursing and 68 for midwifery. The subsequent update reported by Nation.Cymru indicates that the number of midwifery graduates still without posts has reduced to 63.

What action is RCM Cymru taking for affected graduates?

RCM Cymru has raised the issue with the Welsh Government, HEIW and individual health boards since it emerged in June, according to Nation.Cymru staff. Representatives have also met the health minister, raised the matter in the Senedd and held discussions with officials including the Chief Midwifery Officer and education leads.

The organisation has also held events for affected graduates in uk/local/cardiff/">Cardiff, Swansea and Bangor. It said it continued to provide direct support to the graduates while HEIW signposted students towards RCM Cymru’s early-career support and relevant learning resources.

RCM Cymru is seeking information on vacancies which may become available. It is also calling for a preceptorship route for graduates who are unable to secure jobs immediately.

A preceptorship is a structured period of support and supervision for healthcare professionals transitioning from education into practice. RCM Cymru believes this could offer a route into the Welsh maternity workforce for some of the graduates currently awaiting roles.

Ms Richards said:

“Ultimately, these midwives need jobs and maternity services in Wales need their skills. We won’t give up until we have the solution.”

The Welsh Government had been approached for comment at the time of Nation.Cymru’s report. The available report did not include a Welsh Government response.

Background: What staffing concerns have been raised in Welsh maternity services?

The employment situation has emerged against a wider backdrop of scrutiny of maternity and neonatal care in Wales. Senedd Research said a national assurance assessment commissioned by the previous Welsh Government was published in February 2026, following earlier work including a 2023 improvement discovery phase report and a 2020 national review by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales.

According to the Senedd Research briefing, the national assurance assessment found that the workforce was increasingly constrained by pressures affecting wellbeing, professional development, staff health, service sustainability and the quality of care. The briefing stated that the previous Welsh Government accepted all of the assessment’s recommendations, in whole or in part, and set out a three-year programme of action.

That programme included establishing a National Strategic Oversight Board and a national forum intended to share practice and learning across services, according to the briefing.

The reports cited by RCM Cymru and the Senedd Research service do not establish that every vacant or pressured maternity role can be filled immediately by a newly qualified graduate. However, they provide the context in which the union has questioned why trained midwives remain without employment while workforce concerns continue to be reported.

Prediction: How could this affect Welsh maternity graduates and patients?

For the 63 graduates awaiting posts, the immediate effect is continued uncertainty about beginning their NHS careers in Wales. A limited number of vacancies expected during autumn means some may remain without roles unless further posts are identified or an alternative entry route, such as preceptorship, is introduced.

For maternity services, the development is likely to maintain focus on workforce planning, recruitment timing and the match between training places and available NHS roles. Health boards and HEIW may face continued scrutiny from unions, graduates and Senedd members over whether opportunities can be created or brought forward.

For pregnant women and families using maternity services, the reported employment gap does not by itself show that care will change at any particular unit. However, the issue will remain relevant because national reviews have identified staffing as one of several factors affecting the safety, sustainability and quality of maternity services in Wales.