The UK government announces the Graduate Guarantee, unlocking thousands of new NHS jobs for newly qualified nurses and midwives, ensuring a seamless transition from training to employment
The UK government has announced a significant new initiative to boost job opportunities for newly qualified nurses and midwives across England. This program aims to create thousands of NHS positions, helping graduates secure employment quickly after completing their training. By supporting a smooth transition into the workforce, the initiative strengthens the healthcare system and addresses staff shortages, ensuring better patient care and services nationwide.
Graduate Guarantee unlocks new job opportunities
The government’s Graduate Guarantee aims to ensure thousands of new posts are easier to access by removing barriers for trusts, creating opportunities for graduates within the healthcare sector, and ensuring every newly qualified nurse or midwife in England has a job to go to.
These new measures aim to tackle graduates’ concerns about job availability, after record numbers of people chose to study nursing during the pandemic, whilst fewer nurses and midwives leave the profession. Currently, figures suggest that there are up to three times as many graduates as there are job vacancies in some areas.
Reform and support for newly qualified nurses and midwives
The government has committed to a comprehensive package of reform and support, which will see more healthcare professionals deployed across a wide range of sectors, improving patient access.
The package is made possible by good relations between the government, the Royal College of Midwives, and the Royal College of Nursing. It demonstrates that by working together, the NHS, patients, and staff all benefit.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, said: “It is absurd that we are training thousands of nurses and midwives every year, only to leave them without a job before their career has started.
No one who dedicates themselves to a nursing or midwifery career should be left in limbo when their skills are so urgently needed in the effort to rebuild our NHS.
I am sending a clear message to every newly qualified nurse and midwife: We’re here to support you from day one, so you can provide the best care for patients and cut waiting lists. This new guarantee will benefit nurses, midwives and patients, helping to build an NHS fit for the future as part of our Plan for Change.”
The NHS will begin recruiting newly qualified nurses and midwives before vacancies formally arise, with trusts supported to employ staff based on projected need rather than headcount, ensuring the NHS has the correct number of staff to provide the best possible care to patients everywhere.
Furthermore, newly qualified nurses and midwives will gain access to an online hub with important information and advice for job seeking. Vacant maternity support worker posts will be temporarily converted to Band 5 midwifery roles, backed by £8m to create new opportunities for newly qualified midwives and ease recruitment strain.
Chief Nursing Officer for England, Duncan Burton, said: “Having been a student nurse, I know how important it is to feel supported, valued, and able to get on with the job you have trained so hard to do.
Every nurse and midwife deserves the guarantee of a job to apply for when they graduate, so we’re unlocking more opportunities right across health and care and providing refreshed online advice and support with applications to help ensure a smooth transition into employment.
We have more nurses and midwives than ever before choosing to stay working in the NHS, which is fantastic for patients, but we must ensure our newest graduates get the same opportunity to put their skills and passion to use without frustrating delays.”
Royal College of Nursing General Secretary and Chief Executive Professor Nicola Ranger said: “Our student members have led the way in calling for ministers and healthcare leaders to provide certainty and clarity on jobs. Today’s announcement is welcome news that should give hope to students as they come towards the end of their education and training.
When the health service urgently needs nursing staff, it is absurd to leave people in limbo. The test of this will be if students can find jobs, vacant posts are filled, and patients receive the care they deserve.
Ministers have to continue listening to nursing staff who are crying out to have their critical work valued. Today’s action takes us all a little closer.”
Gill Walton, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives, said: “We’re pleased that the government has listened to the voices of student midwives who are desperate to start their career, only to find those opportunities blocked. I know today’s announcement will come as a relief to so many of the RCM’s student midwife members.
These are people, mainly women, who have worked incredibly hard to complete their degree and are trained and ready to support our current midwifery workforce at a time when so many maternity services are under pressure. Ensuring we have the right midwifery staff, in the right places, at the right time with the proper education and training has never been so crucial as services are striving to improve safety.”
