Midwifery students say the last few months have been “hell” as they were left uncertain about their futures following the suspension of their course.

The Nursing and Maternity Council wrote to Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) in May to cancel its accreditation for its midwifery programme at hospital trusts across the county.

A third-year student who was studying at the university's Medway campus said they were immediately pulled out of their final 10-week placement after the news broke and they were left in the dark, not knowing if they would qualify.

The 34-year-old said: “We were always assured our course was safe and it was not in trouble. The university was really confident. But then we were told we would no longer be studying at CCCU. Ever since it can only be described as hell."

She explained students were told to continue with their academic work, including their dissertations, despite not knowing if it would count towards their degree.

Conversations with other universities that offer midwifery courses have been happening in the background by the NMC to see if they can "adopt" the students from CCCU.

A deal is currently being discussed with the University of Surrey however they could ask students to complete an extra 18 months of studying which would include a bridging course and another year of academic work and placements.

The student added: “When you sign up for a three-year course and only have 10 weeks of placement left and are then told you are not graduating...it was a kick in the teeth.

“We are losing some amazing midwives who do not think they can do another 18 months. So many have lost the passion not because they do not care about women and children but because they cannot do any more studying. Some have mortgages, children to feed, and with the cost of living crisis, they just cannot afford to carry on.

“I am very optimistic about being adopted by Surrey. It cannot get worse than it already is and that is what is pushing me through.”

The aspiring midwife added most people had been offered jobs during their other rotations in hospitals but without knowing if they would graduate they feared these opportunities could be lost. Most have been assured their offers will be honoured once they qualify.

Another third-year student added: “The university had assured us we would qualify on time so I was heartbroken when we found out we would not. I was extremely angry and felt like my world had been pulled out from under me.

“This has left my mental health in tatters. I am having counselling but no session will ever fix the trauma this has left me with. I am just coping financially and it would have been a massive increase to be earning a band five wage rather than living on student finance.

“I have worked so hard from being a teenager in school to get my qualifications to get on this course to become a midwife and I know I am supposed to be one.

“I was heartbroken, extremely angry and felt like my world had been pulled out from under me...”

“I cannot give up my dream because of other people's incompetence, it will be a struggle and this has massively impacted my plans for the next few years.”

Another affected student midwife said they have been offered compensation but it does not match the loss of earnings or career progression they would have had.

The 30-year-old said: “It does not justify the emotional turmoil that we have been put through. The handling of the situation has been shambolic.

“I do not want to continue due to the emotional impact this has had on me however, to walk away now would mean losing the last three years of my life.

“I came into this to work for women, to be the person to advocate for them and support them, so I want to continue to strive for that and to provide great care to them.

“I feel tired. My mental health has declined and I feel exhausted from being misled and treated with little respect.”

The Nursing and Maternity Council (NMC) stepped in after receiving alarming feedback from existing students, who reported a lack of supervision - with trainees being left with patients for entire shifts.

The regulator also found students did not feel supported enough to raise concerns, or listened to when they did.

Executive director of professional practice at the NMC, Sam Foster, said: “As a regulator, our role and paramount concern is to protect women, babies and families by upholding the high standards of midwifery practice that they have a right to expect.

“That is why we took the decision, after very careful consideration, to withdraw approval of the midwifery programme at CCCU.

“We know this has created uncertainty for students which is distressing, and so our full attention since making the decision has been on working with the university and NHS England on plans for their onward education. We hope these plans will be confirmed by September."

CCCU is responsible for the issues relating to the withdrawal of the course but is not able to decide on what happens next for the students, this is made by the NMC.

“Since that decision, we have worked tirelessly in the best interests of those students...”

A spokesman for the university said: “We were deeply disappointed that the NMC withdrew accreditation for our current BSc Midwifery programme and for the impact, this has had on our student midwives.

“We did all that we could to provide the assurances that the NMC required but unfortunately our detailed and comprehensive submission, prepared with input from some 40 students, was deemed to be insufficient to do so.

“Since that decision, we have worked tirelessly in the best interests of those students. We are aware of the impact that this has had and have provided dedicated support for their mental health and well-being, both by offering access to counselling services along with the expertise of our own Student Wellbeing team.

“We have been meeting with students on a weekly basis in order to keep them informed and updated and to listen to their concerns.”

And it is not only the student midwives who have had issues with the university this year. Those studying to become nurses were told last week they are not fully qualified and will need to do further placement hours due to an “error in calculations”.

CCCU has said it is holding discussions with the affected students.