Union warns of risks to maternity services while Conservatives attack Labour and Plaid Cymru over workforce planning

NEWLY qualified midwives in Wales are facing uncertainty over whether they will be able to secure NHS jobs this summer, despite continuing concerns about pressure on maternity services and safe staffing.

The issue has opened a fresh political row over NHS workforce planning in Wales after the Royal College of Midwives Cymru warned that delays to the recruitment process, alongside a cut in training places, risk undermining the long-term sustainability of maternity care.

Health Education and Improvement Wales has confirmed that the all-Wales nursing and midwifery student streamlining process has been postponed from April 8 to May 11, 2026. HEIW said the delay was agreed to give health boards more time to review workforce positions, confirm and validate vacancies, and maximise the number of roles available. It added that NHS Wales organisations were dealing with a complex financial and operational position, and that fewer Band 5 roles suitable for graduates are currently available than in previous years.

In a statement published on April 8, RCM Cymru said the delay had created the possibility of fewer vacancies for newly qualified healthcare students in Wales this summer. The union said the situation exposed a worrying disconnect between the number of midwives being trained and the availability of secure and sustainable roles within NHS Wales.

Julie Richards, Director of RCM Cymru, said: “This is deeply concerning, particularly at a time when maternity services in Wales are already under significant pressure. Newly qualified midwives are a vital part of the workforce – they are skilled, committed and ready to provide high-quality care to women, babies and families. The prospect of them being unable to find employment is both troubling and of great concern.”

She added: “On one hand we have national reviews and assessments highlighting the urgent need to improve staffing levels to ensure safe, equitable care. On the other, we are seeing newly qualified midwives facing uncertainty about their future employment. That simply does not add up.”

RCM Cymru also warned that the problem went beyond short-term graduate anxiety and posed a wider risk to the profession. Richards said: “We are at real risk of losing talented professionals before they have even begun their careers. Without immediate action, newly qualified midwives may be forced into non-clinical roles, insecure employment or leave the profession entirely. That would be a devastating loss for maternity services and for the women and families who rely on them.”

Those concerns build on the union’s response to the All-Wales Maternity and Neonatal Assurance Assessment, published in February, in which RCM Cymru said staffing shortages must be treated as an immediate safety issue. In that response, Richards said safe staffing was the foundation of safe care and called for dedicated funding, proper support for newly qualified midwives, and stronger backing for midwifery leaders.

The deeper concern for the union is that the current jobs squeeze appears to sit uneasily beside repeated official warnings about pressure in maternity care. In a letter seen by The Herald, RCM Cymru said HEIW had confirmed a delay to midwifery streamlining creating reduced employment opportunities for newly qualified midwives, and warned that a reduction in commissioned student midwife places from 224 to 144 — a fall of 36 per cent — risked future shortages from 2030 onwards.

That argument is likely to intensify scrutiny of Welsh Government policy, because in a written statement on March 9, Health Secretary Jeremy Miles said ministers were maintaining £319.6 million of investment in education and training for healthcare professionals in 2026-27. He said the government had chosen a measured approach that would support a one-year stabilising position while longer-term workforce modelling was completed, adding that NHS Wales now employed more staff than at any point in its history.

However, RCM Cymru argues that a focus on vacancy data and budget pressures risks overlooking the actual demands on maternity services. In its letter, the union said financial constraints appeared to have been prioritised over a full assessment of workforce capacity, including safe staffing requirements, training commitments, maternity leave, workload, burnout, attrition and skill mix.

The Welsh Conservatives have seized on the issue as part of a broader attack on Labour’s record in government and Plaid Cymru’s support for ministers. In a statement released on Friday (Apr 10), Welsh Conservative health spokesman Peter Fox said: “After years of mismanagement, we are now seeing trained paramedics, nurses, doctors and midwives being left without clear job prospects in Wales, while patients are left waiting longer for care.

“This is a clear failure of workforce planning. Instead of securing the next generation of NHS staff, Labour and Plaid Cymru are presiding over a system that risks losing them altogether.”

Fox said his party would seek to retain, recruit and train more doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives and health professionals in Wales.

The midwives issue has emerged against a wider backdrop of concern over graduate NHS recruitment in Wales. RCN Wales has already warned that up to half of newly qualified nurses could be left without a job when recruitment opens, while HEIW has acknowledged that the number of available Band 5 posts is currently lower than in previous years.

What is not yet clear is whether ministers will offer a direct response to the specific warning from RCM Cymru over newly qualified midwives. No substantive Welsh Government or Plaid Cymru comment addressing that narrow issue appeared alongside the public statements reviewed by The Herald. The most recent Welsh Government position remains its March commitment to protect healthcare training investment and its February acceptance of the recommendations of the maternity and neonatal assurance assessment.

For now, the contradiction at the heart of the row remains unresolved. Maternity services have been told they must improve staffing and safety, yet newly qualified midwives are being warned there may not be enough jobs for them in Wales.

RCM Cymru says that does not add up. HEIW says it is trying to maximise available roles in a difficult financial climate. The Welsh Conservatives say it is proof of long-term failure in workforce planning.

What happens when the streamlining process finally opens on May 11 may show whether the delay was enough to close the gap — or whether Wales is about to lose a new intake of midwives before many of them even begin their careers.

Cardigan café-bakery honoured in Artisan Bakery of the Year category at Welsh awards

CRWST in Cardigan has been recognised for excellence in the Artisan Bakery of the Year category at the Welsh Café and Bakery Awards 2026.

The popular bakery shared the news with customers this week, saying the recognition was a proud moment for the business and its team.

Crwst paid tribute to its bakers, praising their hard work and consistency in producing bread and baked goods each day while also developing new products, including its croissants.

The business also thanked its loyal customers for their continued support, from those queuing up and sitting in to those taking food away and returning again and again.

In a message posted online, the team said the support of customers had played a major part in the bakery’s success.

Crwst added its thanks in Welsh, saying: “Diolch.”

The announcement was accompanied by what the bakery described as an “oldie but goldie” group photograph of the team.

Hit documentary charting Wrexham AFC’s remarkable rise under Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney will continue as the club closes in on the Premier League

THE HIT football documentary Welcome to Wrexham has been renewed for a further three seasons, extending the story of the Welsh club’s extraordinary revival under Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.

The series, which first aired in 2022, has followed Wrexham AFC’s transformation since the two actors bought the club for £2 million in February 2021. Since then, the team has secured three successive promotions, climbing from the National League to the Championship.

From the beginning, Reynolds and McElhenney made no secret of their ambition to take Wrexham all the way to the Premier League. With the club now just one division below the top flight, that goal is looking more realistic than ever.

Reynolds announced the latest renewal news to his huge Instagram following, telling fans that season five will premiere on May 14 and confirming that the programme has been commissioned for three more runs.

The documentary, produced by FX and available in the UK on Disney+, has proved a major success with audiences and critics alike. It has won 10 Emmy Awards as well as two Critics’ Choice Television Awards.

Wrexham’s rise has become one of the most talked-about stories in British football, with the documentary helping to bring global attention to the club and the city itself.

Last year, manager Phil Parkinson said the presence of Reynolds and McElhenney at the club had helped lift the whole atmosphere around the place, underlining the impact they have had both on and off the pitch.