There has been a 13% increase in the number of midwifery programme place starters since two years ago.
This is not quite right. The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan says that a 13% rise in midwifery programme starters is anticipated in 2023/24 in England compared to 2021/22 levels. This suggests that the figure is an expected rather than an actual rise.
There has been a 13% increase in the number of midwifery programme place starters since two years ago.
Health secretary Steve Barclay told MPs last month that there has been a 13% increase in the number of midwifery programme place starters since two years ago.
When we asked the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) what figures Mr Barclay was referring to it told us he was citing the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan.
The plan, published in June, said: “We anticipate upwards of 4,270 starters on midwifery programmes are likely in 2023/24, a 13% increase compared to 2021/22 levels.”
This is slightly different to what Mr Barclay said. The health secretary appeared to claim that there had already been a 13% rise in midwifery programme starters while the plan says this is what is anticipated for this financial year.
The DHSC told Full Fact that Hansard, the official record of Parliament, will be corrected.
Health in the UK is devolved, so these figures will only relate to England.
Ministers should correct false or misleading claims made in Parliament as soon as possible in keeping with the Ministerial Code which states that they should correct ‘any inadvertent error at the earliest opportunity’. We welcome the commitment from DHSC to correct this claim, although it has been over two weeks since we made them aware of it.
Image courtesy of Christian Bowen
Update 8 November 2023
We updated this article to clarify that the figures apply to England.
Since publishing this fact check, a ministerial correction has been made.
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