PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(3 June 2026)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of midwives leaving the NHS before retirement age in each year since 2015 by numbers leaving more than 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40 and 45 years before retirement age.

Asked by:
Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat)

Retirement age is not a fixed date and can vary depending on National Health Service pension arrangements, the State Pension Age, and individual choices. Data held by the Department cannot therefore show how many years a midwife has left until retirement.

NHS England does publish data on the age of staff leaving active service in the NHS trust sector. The attached table presents this data by five-year age bands.

A midwife counted as a “leaver” may have left active service for a range of reasons, including retirement, moving to a non-English NHS organisation, moving to another non-NHS healthcare employer, taking a career break, going on maternity leave, or leaving the workforce temporarily.

Answered by:
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