Who will educate and prepare the midwives of the future? The crisis in midwifery education in the UK

摘要

Evidence clearly indicates that midwifery care is crucial in maintaining high-quality maternity and neonatal services with midwifery education being fundamental to sustaining the profession (Renfrew et al 2014) and future workforce (West et al 2017). In the United Kingdom (UK), midwifery education programmes are based on standards set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Within the current pre-registration midwifery education standards (NMC 2009) it clearly states that midwife teachers should provide the majority of education and training for student midwives and it is essential that this remains the case when the new standards are developed. As midwives are at the forefront of leading the midwifery profession it is a given that women, their babies and families will continue to receive optimal care, with midwifery lecturers playing a crucial role in preparing and strengthening the future midwifery workforce. Despite recruitment to the midwifery profession being healthy as a result of popular media programmes such as Call the Midwife and One Born Every Minute, attracting suitably qualified midwives to a career in higher education (HE), where midwifery education is based, is increasingly becoming a challenge. This paper will highlight several factors that may inhibit midwives' transition to a career in HE and aims to stimulate thought and debate among the readership as to how best these challenges may be addressed in order to develop a pragmatic strategy for the future of midwifery education across the UK.