How to become a midwife in the UK
Registered midwives in the UK are regulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and typically enter the profession via an approved BSc or MSc in Midwifery. Newly qualified midwives join NHS Agenda for Change Band 5, earning £32,073 to £39,043 in England in 2026/27.
What a registered midwife does
Registered midwives provide care to women, birthing people, babies and families through pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period. Midwives work autonomously in low-risk pregnancy and in partnership with obstetric and neonatal teams when care becomes more complex, across NHS hospitals, midwife-led units, community teams and home births.
- Deliver antenatal care and screening.
- Support labour and birth across hospital, midwife-led and home settings.
- Provide postnatal care to birthing people and newborns.
- Recognise complications and escalate to obstetric, anaesthetic or neonatal specialists.
Registration and regulator
Every practising midwife in the UK must be on the register held by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Registration requires completion of an approved pre-registration midwifery programme and evidence of good health and character. Midwives revalidate every three years.
- Regulator: Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
- SOC 2020 occupational code: 2231 (Midwifery nurses).
- Employment: NHS trusts, independent midwifery practices, and voluntary sector.
Salary
Most newly qualified NHS midwives in England start on Agenda for Change Band 5, which pays £32,073 to £39,043 in 2026/27. High Cost Area Supplements add up to around £8,750 in Inner London. Experienced midwives progress to Band 6 (£39,959 to £48,117) and can move into consultant midwife, team lead and head of midwifery roles at Band 7 and above.
Entry routes
There are three main routes into midwifery in the UK:
- School leaver: A levels or a Level 3 vocational qualification into a BSc in Midwifery at an NMC-approved university.
- Adult learner: An Access to HE Diploma (Midwifery) — a Level 3 QAA-regulated diploma, widely accepted as an alternative to A levels.
- Shortened programme for existing nurses: Adult-branch nurses can complete a shortened 78- to 90-week midwifery programme.
Access to HE — the adult route in
The Access to HE Diploma (Midwifery) is a Level 3 qualification designed for adults returning to education without A levels. It is accepted by UK midwifery schools as an entry qualification and can be studied online. Successful completion is typically enough to meet the academic entry requirement for an NMC-approved BSc in Midwifery.