Locum or bank midwife
Low £22.00Typical £30.00High £55.00
Rate benchmark
Locum or bank midwife rates in the UK, 2026
£30.00typical per hour
Indicative pay ranges for UK locum midwives in the 2026/27 tax year. What’s typical, what drives variance, and how to benchmark your own rate against the market.
Ledger | Indicative 2026 range
Low, typical, and high.
NHS Professionals Band 6 runs £23 to £28/hr plus unsocial hours uplift; agency Band 7 off-framework nights and weekends hit £40 to £55/hr. Framework caps have compressed the agency premium over NHSP bank to just £5 to £10/hr in many regions. Independent homebirth work is priced as a full £4,500 to £7,000 package rather than hourly, but the indemnity cost for intrapartum cover is the bottleneck.
| Rangeper hour | LowIndicative | TypicalIndicative | HighIndicative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indicative 2026 range (per hour) | £22.00 | £30.00 | £55.00 |
Indicative 2026 range (per hour)
Every figure on this page, including the ranges in the text above, is Sessional's own estimate and not a survey result. In forming them we looked at: NHS England agency rate caps; RCM member survey data; IMUK guidance on independent practice pricing. We do not link to them because several are for members only or change often, so treat the ranges as a guide and check current adverts. Real rates vary by individual contract and market conditions. Sessional doesn't guarantee any specific rate and your individual outcome depends on your negotiation and the organisations you work with. Figures last reviewed .
01 | Market context
05Rate driversWhat drives the variance
For midwives, framework caps have narrowed the agency premium over NHS Professionals bank work to just a few pounds an hour in most regions.
Geography: London and the South East usually pay above the rest of the country, and rates elsewhere follow local demand.
Urgency: last-minute cover pays more. Organisations covering a sudden gap often pay noticeably above their standard rate.
Specialty: out-of-hours, unplanned care, specialist wards, and complex caseload all uplift the base rate.
Volume: regular weekly bookings are usually offered at a lower rate than ad-hoc shifts in exchange for certainty.
Route to market: direct bookings pay more than agency routes because no one takes a cut.
02 | Your ledger
04Benchmarking stepsHow to benchmark your own rate
Write down the last ten bookings you accepted and the rate you charged or received.
Break them down by region, urgency, and duration.
Compare each against the typical range above. If you are consistently at or below the low end on standard bookings, you are probably underpriced.
Next time you are asked for your rate on a standard booking in a London or South East organisation, quote the typical figure from the headline above and see what happens. A refusal tells you about the booking, not your rate.
03 | Questions
03Short answersLocum or bank midwife rates: common questions
How much do locum midwives earn per hour in 2026?
Indicative 2026 rates for UK locum midwives run from £22.00 to £55.00 per hour, with £30.00 typical. These are Sessional's own estimates, not survey results. In forming them we looked at: NHS England agency rate caps; RCM member survey data; IMUK guidance on independent practice pricing. Real rates vary by contract, region and notice, so check current adverts before you quote.
What makes rates for locum midwives higher or lower?
For midwives, framework caps have narrowed the agency premium over NHS Professionals bank work to just a few pounds an hour in most regions.
Does Sessional set or guarantee these rates?
No. The figures are indicative, and your rate depends on your negotiation and the organisations you work with. Sessional records the rates you actually charge so you can compare them with this range.
04 | 34 cities
Look up your city
01Locum or bank midwife in London02Locum or bank midwife in Manchester03Locum or bank midwife in Birmingham04Locum or bank midwife in Leeds05Locum or bank midwife in Liverpool06Locum or bank midwife in Sheffield07Locum or bank midwife in Bristol08Locum or bank midwife in Newcastle09Locum or bank midwife in Nottingham10Locum or bank midwife in Leicester11Locum or bank midwife in Coventry12Locum or bank midwife in Bradford13Locum or bank midwife in Southampton14Locum or bank midwife in Portsmouth15Locum or bank midwife in Brighton16Locum or bank midwife in Reading17Locum or bank midwife in Oxford18Locum or bank midwife in Cambridge19Locum or bank midwife in Norwich20Locum or bank midwife in Milton Keynes21Locum or bank midwife in York22Locum or bank midwife in Plymouth23Locum or bank midwife in Derby24Locum or bank midwife in Stoke-on-Trent25Locum or bank midwife in Hull26Locum or bank midwife in Sunderland27Locum or bank midwife in Glasgow28Locum or bank midwife in Edinburgh29Locum or bank midwife in Aberdeen30Locum or bank midwife in Dundee31Locum or bank midwife in Cardiff32Locum or bank midwife in Swansea33Locum or bank midwife in Newport34Locum or bank midwife in Belfast
Figures last reviewed 24 April 2026
Run your locum work like a business. Minus the accountant.
Keeps the records, does the sums. Filing and advice stay with you and your accountant.
Log every booking in Sessional and keep the rate you actually agreed against each one. Basic is free with no card; earnings by organisation and by month come with the reporting on Pro.