Proposed changes to funding for midwifery courses

Published on: 25/10/2015

 

Proposals to change the way midwifery courses are funded, made by the Council of Deans of Health and Universities UK, have been criticised by the midwifery union RCM. Currently the NHS funds all the tuition fees for midwifery, nursing and other allied health courses, but if the proposed changes came in student midwives would need to pay their own fees, but would be offered the same student loans available to other students to cover these costs.

 

The university groups argue that moving to the same loan-based system in use for medicine, pharmacy and dentistry students would allow universities to expand the number of places they provide as their costs would be covered by the student loan instead of being limited by the existing NHS funded grant system.

 

However, an RCM spokesperson said: “These proposals to radically alter funding for student midwives are more about the needs of universities rather than the NHS.  There is a shortage of 2600 midwives in England and these plans could make that shortage worse not better. Future midwives could be burdened with debt and in turn put off pursuing a career in midwifery.”

 

Read a Guardian article about these changes here

RCM response may be viewed here