NMC approves new Canterbury midwifery programme: restoring the region’s pipeline

Launching in September 2025, the programme is designed to equip future midwives with the knowledge and skills they need to study and practise in line with our midwifery standards – supporting them to deliver safe, effective care to women, babies and families across the UK.

Upholding high standards of education

Our role is to ensure safe and effective nursing and midwifery practice – protecting the public by upholding the high standards that people across the UK have a right to expect.

Nursing and midwifery education programmes are designed against our standards. To ensure these are upheld, we approve and monitor programmes – we call this education quality assurance.

We continue to strengthen our approach to education quality assurance, monitoring concerns in a safe and supportive way and working with approved education institutions to address concerns. It is one way we are focusing on the effective delivery of our core regulatory functions, and ensuring trust in the professionals on the register.

Working in partnership and collaboration

Our approval of CCCU’s new midwifery programme comes two years after we withdrew approval of the previous course in 2023 – over concerns that it could no longer adequately equip students to meet the requirements they needed to join the NMC professional register.

Since then, CCCU has worked closely with us, constructively using our feedback and guidance to develop its new programme.

We appreciate the university’s collaboration over the past two years. We acknowledge the positive progress it has made to reach this point, both for the benefit of its students and those receiving care.

Donna O’Boyle MBE, Acting Executive Director of Professional Practice at the NMC, said:

“Midwives hold a unique and trusted role, providing care and support during the most significant and life-changing moments in people’s lives. We’re therefore pleased to approve Canterbury Christ Church University’s new midwifery programme – a process which has demonstrated learning, openness and collaboration with student and public wellbeing at its heart.”

Dr Paul Driscoll-Evans, Dean of the School of Nursing, Midwifery, Allied and Public Health at CCCU, said:

“We have worked closely with health leaders across Kent, Medway and at national level, as well as service users to better understand their lived experience, alongside insights from our students and alumni. Not only does the course meet the NMC’s rigorous standards for clinical competence and professional development, but it will also support the region's long-term workforce plans.”

Further information:

• Information about our role in education is available here.
• Details about our programme of work to support nursing and midwifery practice is available here.

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