Professional, statutory and regulatory body (PSRB) accreditation
All professional programmes are required to be validated by their governing Professional, Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB). Each PSRB has its own standards for professional education that must be met in order for the programme of study to qualify for accreditation. To successfully complete a professional programme each student will be required to meet the required programme standards.
This programme is compliant with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards for Pre-registration Midwifery Programmes (NMC 2019)
From September 2022 all HEI’s delivering midwifery education will be required to adhere to these standards.
For further information and other relevant publications please visit the NMC website.
PSRBs and approval periods vary from programme to programme. If you require further information contact your programme leader.
It is a requirement of the NMC (2019) that by the end of the programme students have had a breadth and depth of clinical experience. Students are therefore required to document that they have undertaken the following EEC requirements (Extract from Directive 2005/36 of the European Parliament and of the council of the recognition of professional qualifications (as amended) cited in NMC (2019)):
This training is to be dispensed under appropriate supervision:
Advising of pregnant women, involving at least 100 pre-natal examinations.
Supervision and care of at least 40 pregnant women.
Conduct by the student of at least 40 deliveries; where this number cannot be reached owing to the lack of available women in labour, it may be reduced to a minimum of 30, provided that the student assists with 20 further deliveries.
Active participation with breech deliveries. Where this is not possible because of lack of breech deliveries, practice may be in a simulated situation.
Performance of episiotomy and initiation into suturing. Initiation shall include theoretical instruction and clinical practice. The practice of suturing includes suturing of the wound following an episiotomy and a simple perineal laceration. This may be in a simulated situation if absolutely necessary.
Supervision and care of 40 women at risk in pregnancy, or labour or post-natal period.
Supervision and care (including examination) of at least 100 post-natal women and healthy new-born infants.
Observation and care of the new-born requiring special care, including those born pre-term, post-term, underweight or ill.
Care of women with pathological conditions in the fields of gynaecology and obstetrics.
Initiation into care in the field of medicine and surgery. Initiation shall include theoretical instruction and clinical practice.
In April 2023, the NMC published additional information to support student midwives to review the recording of personal births - Number of births to be achieved by student midwives - The Nursing and Midwifery Council (nmc.org.uk).
Key points:
The standard for the number of births to be achieved by student midwives has not changed and remains at 40.
It is expected that a student must provide care during each stage of labour and not just in the latter stages unless the woman arrives in advanced labour, and the baby is born quickly.
For cases of retained placenta membranes, the birth may be counted towards the 40 births if the student cared for the woman throughout all stages of labour.
In the case of a twin birth, the births are counted as two when both babies are spontaneous vaginal births.
A student may facilitate a pre-term birth or a stillbirth as appropriate under the direct supervision of a midwife.
Student midwives are able to review personal births retrospectively against this new guidance i.e. some births that did not previously count towards the 40 personal births may now do so - this should be discussed with a students’ academic assessor and relevant documentation in relation to this.
Information is also included in this guidance to support students when 40 births cannot be achieved - students should discuss such cases with their academic assessor, in conjunction with their practice supervisor/ assessor towards the end of their final practice module. This discussion will inform a final decision in relation to birth numbers, at the end of the programme, by the Lead Midwife for Education.
Recording your professional qualification
It is advisable to register with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC) as soon as you can after finishing your programme.
If you wait more than 6 months to do this, you will be required to provide additional information to the NMC (Nursing & Midwifery Council) as part of the registration process.
You should register within 5 years of completing the programme. After this time you may be required to complete additional education or training to be able to register.
Review of good health, conduct & character status
The Fitness to Practise Committee will review your records throughout your programme and prior to registration with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). It is your responsibility to notify your supervisor of any changes to your health or character status (e.g. cautions or convictions, pending charges) at the point they occur during your programme of study. You must then indicate that there has been a change to your health or character status or your professional indemnity cover annually whenever you re-enrol.
Towards the end of your programme, the department is required to consider any issues that have arisen during your programme relating to your health and character which may influence your eligibility to register with the NMC. A process of declaration regarding good health and good character by you the student and your personal supervisor is therefore reviewed by the Fitness to Practise Committee.
If there are any issues of concern about your eligibility to register on either health or character grounds, with the NMC, the Fitness to Practise Committee will discuss this with you to seek your consent to disclose information to the NMC and apply the Fitness to Practise policy where appropriate.
For more information on this process visit the Fitness to Practise Committee website.
The NMC Standards for Pre-Registration Midwifery Programmes state that, in accordance with rule 6(1)(a)(ii) of the registration rules, the lead midwife for education shall be responsible, at their discretion, for signing the supporting declarations of good health and good character for all midwifery applications to the register.
If a lead midwife for education cannot be assured of a student’s good health and good character they must not sign the supporting declaration required by the NMC. The student therefore cannot be recommended for admission to the midwives’ part of the register.
Working whilst studying
The Department recognises that you may choose to supplement your finances by gaining employment. You are reminded that your primary commitment during your programme is to the academic and clinical requirements of the programme. You must not undertake paid employment at times when you are expected either to be on duty in clinical practice or in attendance at theoretical sessions in the Department (this includes timetabled periods of private study).
To comply with the Maximum Weekly Working Hours (Gov.uk) you should not exceed 48 hours work per week (averaged over 17 weeks) in relation to University practice and theory, (when both programme requirements (theory and where relevant practice) plus hours of paid employment are combined). Working in excess of this could result in issues of safety for students and those in their care.
You are also reminded that pursuit of paid employment should not jeopardise your ability to participate fully and safely in all aspects of the programme. For example, working a night shift as an employee immediately prior to going on day duty as a student midwife would be regarded as unsafe practice.
You should notify your supervisor of any employment outside your programme and requests for references from employers will be completed by supervisors following discussion with you. You are reminded that, when you are engaged in such employment, you are employees and, as such, are subject to the rules and regulations of the employer. In such situations you should not represent yourself as a student of the Department of Health Sciences and should not in any circumstance wear your student uniform.