Hundreds of NHS Wales graduates remain jobless after summer matching round

Health Education and Improvement Wales left 383 graduates unmatched in its summer placement round. The shortfall hit nursing hardest, with 306 nursing graduates still without a Band 5 role after 703 of 1,086 participants were placed.

One of the unmatched students, Mia Edgeworth, was among the 306 nurses without a Band 5 post, while another paramedic student, Lorna Edwards, was considering work abroad after studying at Swansea University.

On 25 June 2026, the first phase of HEIW’s nationally coordinated Student Streamlining Summer 2026 process matched final-year nursing, midwifery and Operating Department Practitioner students to Band 5 roles across NHS Wales. Even after that round, 35 per cent of those in the process remained without jobs. HEIW had already confirmed almost 400 nursing and midwifery graduates were still without NHS positions after the first round concluded.

In April 2026, about 70 final-year paramedic students were told there would be no jobs for newly qualified paramedics in Wales. In June, there were 82 graduates and no available Newly Qualified Paramedic roles within the Welsh Ambulance Service, although 62 had secured Emergency Medical Technician roles instead. Of those, 42 were allocated training courses in September and October and 20 were placed on a reserve list.

The Welsh Ambulance Service could not initially offer newly qualified paramedic roles to many graduates because of changes to skill mix, working patterns and the financial landscape. HEIW later paused paramedic degree intake for the 2026-27 academic year at Swansea University and Wrexham University.

The Royal College of Nursing in Wales called for a graduate guarantee for newly qualified nurses, saying 131 nursing vacancies had not been matched to graduates and the shortfall was close to 180 posts. The Royal College of Midwives Cymru said newly qualified midwives had been disappointed not to secure NHS roles despite ongoing staffing pressures in maternity services.

Jane Dodds, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, called the situation a "staggering waste" of talent and taxpayers' money, while Welsh Conservatives said it showed a failure of workforce planning. The Welsh Government will convene a stakeholder summit to discuss immediate support for graduates and longer-term action, alongside a £145 million boost for NHS Wales and a Graduate Summit to review employment opportunities for this summer’s nursing, midwifery and paramedic graduates.