One in five student midwives will be left with £10k debt

The organisation polled 345 students, finding that 65% of final year pupils were in debt, 46% of whom described repaying the money as a bigger concern than not getting a job.

Of those owing money, almost 20% were more than £10,000 in debt, while a further 28% owed between £7,000 and £10,000.

A total of 90% blamed the current bursary system for their financial woe, accusing it of providing them with insufficient funding and forcing them to turn to the banks. More than 30% said they needed an extra £4,000 a year or more to survive.

The poll also found that Government plans to replace the bursary with a means-tested scheme were unpopular with 59% of those questioned. Of the alternatives on offer, 38% said they would prefer to be employed on the minimum wage.

Cathy Warwick, general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, said: “This survey underlines what the Royal College of Midwives has been saying and campaigning about for some time - that morale amongst student midwives is plummeting because of their accumulated debts and uncertainty about getting a job after graduating.

“A one-year job guarantee for newly-qualified midwives would ensure that they are brought and welcomed into the profession and NHS trusts.”

The study was released as part of the Royal College of Midwives’ annual conference, which is taking place in Manchester.

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