Midwifery training is returning to Kent.

The University of Greenwich will offer places for 65 students from September, which will be based out of their campus in Gillingham, Medway.

It comes after Canterbury Christ Church’s course was axed earlier this year, over safety and quality concerns.

Mandy Stevenson, deputy head of school in the health sciences department at Greenwich, says the new provision will make it more convenient for prospective midwives in the area to get qualified.

She said: “Adding Midwifery to the School of Health Sciences portfolio at our Medway campus will provide some amazing opportunities for both our students and the local communities which host our partner NHS Trusts.

“For our Kent-based students, it means they will receive their midwifery education closer to home and reduce their travel time.

"For our local communities, it means there will be an ongoing workforce to provide high-quality midwifery care in the local area.”

The University of Greenwich’s nursing and midwifery provision was voted number one in London for satisfaction with teaching.

The establishment promises training in “world-class simulation facilities”.

Christ Church students were devastated in May after the National Midwifery Council opted to shut down the programme over safety and quality concerns.

The university was forced to put its three-year BSc degree on hold for new undergraduates last September, just weeks before the term was due to begin.

The NMC stepped in after receiving feedback from existing students, who reported a lack of supervision – with trainees being left with patients for entire shifts.

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

However, this new three-year course at the University of Greenwich means Kent students will hopefully once again have a local opportunity to study the subject.

The Medway course is subject to the final stage of approval and validation process by the National Midwifery Council. Applications are open now.