ADR UK Research Fellows: Nursing and Midwifery Council linked to Census 2021
Categories: Research using linked data, ADR UK Research Fellows, ADR England, ADR Scotland, Office for National Statistics, Health & wellbeing, Employment & the economy
24 August 2026
ADR UK is funding Research Fellows to conduct research using the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Register linked to Census 2021 dataset. This research will generate unique insights into the experiences and dynamics of the UK’s nursing and midwifery workforce.
This unique dataset links the NMC’s UK-wide register of nurses, nursing associates, and midwives with the Census 2021 for England and Wales. It provides rich, de-identified information on these professions, enabling research on entry, retention, and movement across regions. The dataset is being accessed within the Office for National Statistics Secure Research Service.
The fellowship projects are exploring different aspects of the nursing and midwifery workforce, making use of the linked data to generate insights that were not previously possible. Areas of focus include investigating why increasing numbers of nurses and midwives are leaving the profession early, using linked administrative data to identify who is most at risk of leaving and when, and migration trends among UK healthcare.
These projects will help policymakers, the NMC, and healthcare organisations understand both where nurses and midwives move to and from, and why some leave the profession altogether. This evidence can inform strategies for recruitment, retention, and workforce planning across the UK, ultimately improving the stability of the workforce and the services delivered to patients.
Learn more about the fellows and their projects below.
Cidália das Neves Eusébio, Rn, MSc PH
Understanding the characteristics of early registrant leavers from the NMC register using linked administrative data
Nurses and midwives make up the largest professional group in the NHS, yet increasing numbers are leaving the profession early. Between 2021 and 2024, the number of UK-trained nurses leaving the register within five years of qualifying rose by 67%, while the NHS also reports over 30,000 unfilled nursing posts. The main source of insight into why people leave is a voluntary survey completed by a small, self-selected group of leavers, which cannot tell us about the wider registered population, or about social and structural factors such as household circumstances. As a result, we don't have a robust, population-level understanding of who is at greatest risk of leaving the register early, or why.
This project aims to find out who is most likely to leave the nursing and midwifery register early, and when, by analysing linked national records rather than relying on voluntary surveys. The findings will provide evidence to help the NHS and policymakers target support and improve retention of an experienced nursing and midwifery workforce. It will also aim to improve the data collection.
Cidália is a Research Fellow at London South Bank University.
View project details
This project aims to explore the following research questions:
- Among nurses, midwives and nursing associates registered between 2018 and 2021, how does the number of people leaving the profession, and when they leave, vary by professional background and personal characteristics (such as age, ethnicity, and where they trained)?
- Are some groups of registrants - for example, by ethnicity or other protected characteristics - more likely to leave the profession early than others, and does this remain true once wider social and economic circumstances are taken into account?
- Which combinations of career, personal and social characteristics are linked to nurses and midwives staying registered for longer, compared with those who leave early?
The methodology used in this study:
- The project will begin by checking the quality and completeness of the data, before describing when people leave the register and how long they typically stay. It will then use a well-established statistical method called survival analysis to explore how career background, personal characteristics, and household or social circumstances relate to the likelihood and timing of someone leaving the register. Because the exact date someone leaves is not always recorded precisely, findings will be checked using several different time windows (for example, three months, one year and three years) to ensure they are reliable.
- The project will also use an exploratory technique called clustering, which groups people with similar combinations of characteristics, to help identify recognisable types of nurse or midwife who may be more likely to leave early. This part of the analysis is descriptive: it is designed to reveal patterns, not to prove what causes people to leave.
- Throughout the project, organisations, alongside a group of nurses, midwives, workforce planners and people with relevant lived experience, will help interpret the findings and ensure they are communicated responsibly and usefully.
Previous research fellowships
Professor Iain Atherton
Nurses, midwives, and migration: Evidence from a linked registrant-census dataset
This project will develop an evidence base on the migration of nurses, nursing associates and midwives within the UK. The project aims to understand migration trends among UK healthcare professionals, informing future workforce planning and educational investment. The research analyses geographical movement, with a focus on first-year registrants, using both cross-sectional and longitudinal data to explore the factors that influence migration. These findings around migration patterns will help policymakers and healthcare organisations develop strategies for recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals in different parts of the UK, ultimately improving services for patients.
Iain is a Professor of Nursing and Data Science at Edinburgh Napier University
View project details
The project aims to explore the following research questions:
- Can registrant data provide a robust basis for migration analysis?
- Which regions of the UK lose nurses, nursing associates and midwives to other parts of the UK?
- Which geographical regions see an increased number of nurses, nursing associates, and midwives moving to that area?
- Do these migration patterns differ amongst registrants in their first year of practice?
- What factors drive the relocation of nurses and midwives?
The methodology used in this study:
- The project will track geographical moves, such as changing regions or countries within the UK, using registrant data from different time points. Census data will help verify these findings by analysing moves made in the year before census day. Migration rates for UK nations and regions in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 will be calculated and compared to each other and to census data for England and Wales. Analysis will focus on registrants in their first year of practice.
- The project will then develop models to understand what factors influence nurses and midwives to relocate. These factors may be professional (e.g. time since qualification), social (e.g. caring responsibilities), and geographical (e.g. where they lived and moved).
The findings will help explain why nurses, midwives and nursing associates relocate which can inform policies to support workforce retention. These insights will be of interest to the NMC and those responsible for workforce and education provision across the UK.
Publications
- Blog: Migration patterns of nurses and midwives, December 2024
Categories: Research using linked data, ADR UK Research Fellows, ADR England, ADR Scotland, Office for National Statistics, Health & wellbeing, Employment & the economy
