Hundreds of graduate nurses and midwives miss out on NHS Wales jobs

Mark Mansfield

Hundreds of newly qualified nurses and midwives have missed out on NHS jobs in Wales despite persistent staffing shortages, prompting unions to call for urgent intervention from the Welsh Government.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Wales and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Cymru have both warned that graduates are being denied the opportunity to join an NHS workforce that continues to struggle with vacancies and increasing demand.

Figures released by the RCN show that, following the first stage of the national recruitment process, 306 student nurses due to graduate in September have not been allocated an NHS Wales post.

The union said 131 nursing vacancies remain unfilled, meaning the eventual shortfall could fall to around 175 posts if those jobs are matched to graduates before the recruitment process concludes.

At the same time, RCM Cymru said a number of newly qualified midwives also discovered this week that they had not secured NHS roles through Healthcare Education and Improvement Wales’ (HEIW) recruitment process. In previous years, all graduate midwives were offered jobs.

Both unions say the outcome is at odds with repeated warnings that NHS Wales faces serious workforce shortages.

RCN Wales Executive Director of Nursing Nicola Williams said the situation was deeply concerning.
“We are deeply concerned that around 175 newly registered nurses in Wales could be left without a job when they graduate. These are highly skilled professionals who are ready to work, support patients and strengthen our NHS.”

She added: “We know the difference registered nurses make to patient outcomes and to improving the lives of people across Wales.

“At a time when we are spending large amounts on temporary staffing, our members continue to tell us of the significant pressures they face every day, with increasing demand and insufficient staff, we cannot justify a position where newly qualified nurses are unable to secure employment.”

The RCN said many students were facing uncertainty over their future, with some worried about how they would support themselves and their families if they could not find work in Wales.

RCM Cymru Director Julie Richards said the decision to leave graduate midwives without posts was equally difficult to understand.

“It leaves us questioning how newly qualified midwives, who are ready and willing to work, can be left without jobs while services continue to struggle with workforce shortages,” she said.

“It’s disappointing that there are insufficient jobs for all graduate midwives when we desperately need them in the workforce to ease the staffing crisis in our maternity services.”

The midwives’ union pointed to the recent Maternity and Neonatal Assessment: Pathways to Safer Beginnings in Wales, which identified workforce shortages as a key risk to patient safety and called for urgent action to increase staffing levels.

Ms Richards said there was a clear contradiction between those recommendations and the lack of jobs available for newly qualified staff.

“On one hand we have national reviews highlighting the urgent need to improve staffing levels to ensure safe care,” she said.

“On the other, we are seeing newly qualified midwives facing uncertainty about their future employment. That simply does not add up.”

Graduate summit

Both unions attended a ministerial graduate summit last week, where ministers, officials and NHS leaders discussed ways of ensuring healthcare graduates can secure employment.

The RCN is calling for immediate action, including a graduate employment guarantee, greater transparency over workforce planning and closer coordination between the Welsh Government, HEIW and NHS organisations.

RCM Cymru is also urging ministers and health boards to complete assessments of safe staffing levels and ensure newly qualified midwives are retained within NHS

Support

The Welsh Government said: “We know how disappointing it is for this year’s nursing, midwifery and paramedics graduates who haven’t secured the roles they worked so hard for.

“We have asked HEIW to coordinate a national support offer, including a single point of access to ensure graduates remain supported and connected to emerging employment opportunities.

“The Cabinet Minister for Health and Care has already convened a graduate summit to find immediate solutions and prevent this from happening again, and asked for actions from the Summit to be rolled out nationally.”