Archive for the ‘Independent Midwifery’ Category
Freedom for Birth – ACTION PLAN
Posted on: October 1, 2012
- In: Agnes Gereb | AIMS | ARM | Association for Improvements in Maternity Services | Association of Radical Midwives | Birth | campaign | Childbirth | Face of Birth | Facebook | Fighting for Independent Midwives | Freedom for Birth | Health | Human Rights in Childbirth | Independent Midwife | Independent Midwifery | Independent Midwives UK | Midwife | One Born Every Minute—The Truth | One World Birth | petition | The Birth I Want | Toni Harman | www.aims.org.uk | www.freedomforbirth.com | www.independentmidwives.org.uk | www.thebirthiwant.org.uk
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Following the recent screening of “Freedom for Birth” a film documentary discussing the plight of maternity services and midwifery world-wide I have put together an Action Plan of ideas that you may like to consider to support the midwives and maternity services. Please do as much as you can to make things better for women today and our daughters in the future.
ACTION PLAN
Please consider joining the following Facebook groups:
Independent Midwives UK
Fighting for Independent Midwives
The Birth I Want
ARM Conference 2012
One Born Every Minute—The Truth
One World Birth
Human Rights in Childbirth
Face of Birth
Websites:
The Birth I Want:
http://www.thebirthiwant.org.uk
Register an Interest in Independent Midwifery at:
http://www.independentmidwives.org.uk/
The Association of Radical Midwives—Midwifery Matters:
The Association for Improvement in Maternity
Services:
The Face of Birth
Sign the petitions:
http://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/choice-for-mothers-to-be-saves-nhs-money
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/34513
View the short version of “Freedom for Birth” available November 2012
Write a letter of support for Agnes to President of Hungary, János Áder ugyfelkapu@keh.hu
- In: Agnes Gereb | Alex Wakeford | baby | Birth | Cathy Warwick | Childbirth | Health | Hermine Hayes-Klein | Hungarian midwife | Independent Midwife | Independent Midwifery | info@3shiresmidwife.co.uk | Lesley Page | Midwife | midwife jailed | pregnancy | professional indemnity insurance | RCM | The Bee House | Toni Harman | Valerie Gommon | www.3shiresmidwife.co.uk | www.beehouse.net
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On Thursday 20th September women (and men) around the world will be hosting film screenings to raise the profile of midwifery. I am joining this event because I passionately believe that women are entitled to better maternity care.
Everyone in the UK knows that our maternity services are in crisis and indeed the Royal College of Midwives has strongly stated this.
I am planning to take a break from midwifery as I am totally burnt out … this is partly the demands of being on-call 24/7 for the past 8 years, but it is also due to the increasing scrutiny, red tape and pressures on midwives. I believe that most midwives do their very best for women. Of course there are some rouge practitioners and the public needs to be protected against them, but the pressures on midwives are immense; more paperwork, more investigations of our practice, pressures of working with a system that is barely fit for purpose ….
At the same time Independent Midwifery, which gives “gold standard” care is set to become illegal unless an eleventh hour solution can be found to provide us with Professional Indemnity Insurance which will become mandatory from October 2013.
What will happen to these highly skilled midwives and the clients they currently care for? I’m afraid that I feel ground down and beaten by all that is currently happening in midwifery … it is so sad, midwifery and childbirth has been my passion and my life for the past 20 years!
So, as my swan song to midwifery (for now at least) I am hosting this film showing in Milton Keynes and I hope this will serve to raise the profile of midwifery and to mobilise women to demand the service they deserve.
FREEDOM FOR BIRTH FILM SCREENING Thursday 20th September 2012 Two showings, 1pm and 7pm
The Bee House
Interchange House
Howard Way
Newport Pagnell
MK16 9PX
- Entrance by donation – suggested donation £5 (Any profits to be donated to Midwifery Campaign)
- Refreshments available at the venue
- Birth related Exhibition and discussion after film showing
ALL WELCOME – please advertise widely! Please print and display the attached poster
For further information & to book a seat please email info@3shiresmidwife.co.uk
FREEDOM FOR BIRTH – GLOBAL FILM LAUNCHA new documentary that reframes childbirth as the most pressing global Human Rights issue today is launching with hundreds of premieres all over the world on the same day, Thursday 20th September 2012.
Freedom For Birth is a 60 minute campaigning documentary featuring a Who’s Who of leading birth experts and international Human Rights lawyers all calling for radical change to the world’s maternity systems.
Hermine Hayes-Klein, US lawyer and organiser of the recent Human Rights in Childbirth Conference at the Hague, the Netherlands says, “the way that childbirth is being managed in many countries around the world is deeply problematic. Millions of pregnant women are pushed into hospitals, pushed onto their back and cut open. They are subject to unnecessary pharmaceutical and surgical interventions that their care providers openly admit to imposing on them for reasons of finance and convenience. Women around the world are waking up to the fact that childbirth doesn’t have to be like this and it shouldn’t. Disrespect and abuse are not the necessary price of safety”.
Made by British filmmakers Toni Harman and Alex Wakeford, Freedom For Birth film tells the story of an Hungarian midwife Agnes Gereb who has been jailed for supporting women giving birth at home. One of the home birth mothers supported by Ms Gereb decided to take a stand.
When pregnant with her second child, Anna Ternovsky took her country to the European Court of Human Rights and won a landmark case that has major implications for childbirth around the world.
Toni Harman, one of the filmmakers says, “the Ternovsky vs Hungary ruling at the European Court of Human Rights in 2010 means that now in Europe, every birthing woman has the legal right to decide where and how she gives birth. And across the world, it means that if a woman feels like her Human Rights are being violated because her birth choices are not being fully supported, she could use the power of the law to protect those rights. With the release of “Freedom For Birth”, we hope millions of women become aware of their legal rights and so our film has the potential to spark a revolution in maternity care across the world. In fact, we are calling this the Mothers’ Revolution.”
Cathy Warwick, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), says: “A safe childbirth should be a fundamental human right for women. Sadly, for many, many millions of women and their babies across the world this is not the case. The world is desperately short of the people who can help to ensure and deliver this human right; midwives. There is a real need for leaders of nations to invest in midwifery care in their countries. I hope that the making of this film which the RCM is supporting with a screening will go a long way to help make skilled maternity care a reality for those women who currently do not have access to it.”
Lesley Page, President of the Royal College of Midwives adds, “Too many women across the world are dying or suffering terribly because of a lack of skilled maternity care. This is unacceptable and I call on all Governments across the world to give women the right and access to safe care in pregnancy and childbirth.”
Ms. Hayes-Klein concludes, “Freedom For Birth” holds the answer to changing the system. Birth will change when women realise they have a right to meaningful support for childbirth and claim that right. Birth will change when women stand up against the abuses that are currently suffered in such high numbers and say, No More.”
The filmmakers are aiming for 1,000 screenings happening across the world on Thursday 20th September, 2012. The countries with confirmed screenings include the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Denmark, Spain, Greece, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, Poland, Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Belgium, Hungary, Israel, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Russia, USA, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Panama, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Philippines, China, South Africa and India.
Each screening is being organised by local birth campaigners.
Freedom For Birth is Harman and Wakeford’s third documentary film about birth. They were inspired to make films about following their own difficult birth of their daughter four years ago. A cascade of interventions in their birth led to an emergency caesarean section.
Contact Information:
Toni Harman, Producer/Director, Freedom For Birth info@altofilms.com +44 (0) 1273 747837
The end of Independent Midwifery?
Posted on: May 2, 2012
- In: 3 Shires Midwife | antenatal | Birth | Breech birth | caseload midwifery | Childbirth | Health | Homebirth | Independent Midwife | Independent Midwifery | Independent Midwives Association | Independent Midwives UK | labour | maternity | Midwife | midwifery | NHS | Nursing and Midwifery Council | postnatal | pregnancy | Private midwife | professional indemnity insurance | twins | VBAC | www.independentmidwives.org.uk | www.neighbourhoodmidwives.org.uk | www.onetoonemidwives.org
- 17 Comments
Very sadly it looks fairly certain that Independent Midwifery will end in October 2013. The Government and Nursing and Midwifery Council have for a long time been recommending that Independent Midwives should have professional indemnity insurance (negligence insurance) despite it not being commercially available in the marketplace i.e. insurers do not provide this insurance for midwives. You can read more about the current situation here http://www.independentmidwives.org.uk/?node=11615
An E.U. Directive is now due to come into force to implement this change and our current information is that it will be illegal for us to practice without professional indemnity insurance from October 2013. This means that women will be denied the choice of choosing an Independent Midwife and we will be denied the choice of working independently and will be forced to stop practising or to return into the NHS.
The Independent Midwives UK organisation has been working tirelessly for years to find a solution and it is just possible that an eleventh hour solution will be found but this is now looking unlikely.
A group of midwives have formed an organisation called Neighbourhood Midwives www.neighbourhoodmidwives.org.uk/ and are working towards setting up an employee-owned social enterprise organization, to provide an NHS commissioned caseload midwifery homebirth service, based in the local community. This may prove to be a workable alternative to Independent Midwifery but at present (if it comes to fruition) the service will only be able to accept “low-risk” women and this is of concern to all of us who have supported women with more complex situations, for example first time mothers, vaginal birth after a previous caesarean, twins, breech birth and women who are not deemed “low risk”. The aim of Neighbourhood Midwives will be to extend their remit to include more women as soon as possible.
There is already a precedent for this type of care as One to One Midwives in Liverpool www.onetoonemidwives.org have already managed to set up a caseloading midwifery service (similar to independent midwifery in that a woman will care for a caseload of women throughout the whole of the pregnancy, birth and postnatal period) within the NHS.
It is a very sad time for midwifery and for women’s choice, but perhaps good things will come out of it, I certainly hope so.
- In: 3 Shires Midwife | antenatal | baby | bedford | Bedfordshire | Birth | blood pressure | blood tests | breastfeeding | Childbirth | Health | Homebirth | hospital | Independent Midwife | Independent Midwifery | info@3shiresmidwife.co.uk | labour | Leighton Buzzard | Midwife | Milton Keynes | NHS | postnatal | Private midwife | Valerie Gommon | Vitamin K | waterbirth | www.3shiresmidwife.co.uk
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Where to start? Every day is different, so I’m going to give you a flavour of the sort of things I get up to.
Of course I have antenatal appointments; from the first tentative telephone enquiry I then arrange to meet up with a potential client (usually for an hour or so) so that we can discuss their past experiences, their hopes for this pregnancy, their concerns and most importantly so that they can get a “feel” as to whether they actually like and trust me. Once a couple have decided to book me as their midwife I then usually give all their antenatal care in their own home (although I have done antenatal visits in The Bank of England medical room!). The format of visits is that I carry out all the usual blood tests, urine and blood pressure checks, but also leave a lot of time for discussion so that over the course of the pregnancy we cover issues such as waterbirth, Vitamin K, when to call me and so on.
My clients come from a wide area – I am happy to take clients who live within approximately an hour’s radius of my home in Leighton Buzzard – so I do spend a fair bit of time driving, as well as liaising with G.P.’s and hospitals where necessary.
Four times a year I jointly organise an Antenatal Exhibition, this is an opportunity for pregnant couples to gather information about breastfeeding, pregnancy yoga, cloth nappies and the like. We also organise Birth Preparation Workshops and am often to be found at the Community Desk in Central Milton Keynes on hand to speak to expectant parents and also regularly attend Study Day’s and midwifery meetings to ensure that I keep myself up-to-date with current research.
Obviously I spend much of my time being “on-call” for births. My own family are now pretty much grown-up and the commitment isn’t as big as one might imagine as I rarely have more than two births during a month – it is important that I don’t over-commit myself as the whole point of what I do is that I guarantee to be there for the birth. Babies don’t always read the text books though! I have had three births in one week, as of course some babies do come early and some come late! As you will appreciate, the birth is the big event, and it can on occasion go on for some time.
Baby being here doesn’t mean that my job ends! In fact, postnatal visiting is often one of the busiest times as the family may need quite a lot of support in the early days. The majority of my clients choose to give birth at home; however some either need to, or choose to give birth in hospital.
I visit my clients for up to four weeks postnatally and it is a joy to see the baby thriving and although discharging clients is always tinged with sadness it is also great to know that I have played a part in helping the family on to the next stage of their life. (I do usually keep in touch, perhaps not as often as I would like, but I often get e-mails and photographs and usually pop in when I’m passing!).
So, in summary I guess the main differences between me and an NHS midwife are that you are buying my time; antenatal visits usually take around an hour and a half (instead of perhaps 10 – 15 minutes at your local surgery), are arranged more frequently and take place at a time and place to suit you. Most importantly you will receive full continuity of care – I will see you at each visit to build our relationship and plan your care and you will know that (barring exceptional circumstances) I will be with you in labour and available 24/7 for urgent help.
I am always happy to discuss anything that you are concerned about; please do feel free to call.
Written by Valerie Gommon, BA (Hons), RM, Independent Midwife
www.3shiresmidwife.co.uk 01525 385153
- In: Birth | Childbirth | free birthing | Health | Independent Midwifery | info@3shiresmidwife.co.uk | labour | maternity | Midwife | midwifery | placenta | placentophagy | pregnancy | snow | Valerie Gommon | www.3shiresmidwife.co.uk
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The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is on fire!.
Crunchy numbers
A helper monkey made this abstract painting, inspired by your stats.
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 3,900 times in 2010. That’s about 9 full 747s.
In 2010, there were 53 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 172 posts. There were 2 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 2mb.
The busiest day of the year was April 7th with 144 views. The most popular post that day was Birth before the arrival of a midwife.
Where did they come from?
The top referring sites in 2010 were 3shiresmidwife.co.uk, facebook.com, en.wordpress.com, twitter.com, and studentmidwife.net.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for midwife blog, valerie gommon, skinny women and pregnancy, albany midwives suspended, and placentophagy research.
Attractions in 2010
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
Birth before the arrival of a midwife May 2009
“Super skinny pregnancies” March 2009
6 comments
Independent Midwifery and snow Part II January 2010
4 comments
Eating the placenta (placentophagy)? October 2009
3 comments
Freebirthing / Unassisted birth May 2009
5 comments
Expecting a second baby?
Posted on: October 3, 2010
- In: 3 Shires Midwife | active birth | antenatal | antenatal class | Antenatal classes | babies | baby | baby movements | Birth | breastfeeding | caseload midwifery | Childbirth | children | Health | Homebirth | Independent Midwife | Independent Midwifery | Independent Midwives Association | Independent Midwives UK | info@3shiresmidwife.co.uk | Midwife | postnatal | pregnancy | Private midwife | Toddler | Uncategorized | www.3shiresmidwife.co.uk | www.independentmidwives.org.uk
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No two pregnancies are the same, so it is very important that you continue to look after yourself by eating and resting as much as you possibly can. Remember this time you are also looking after your little one(s) too. You may feel better or more tired this time around; and certainly having a toddler is hard work. If your toddler sleeps then you should rest and not rush around doing housework! If you are exhausted try asking a friend if they would have your toddler for a couple of hours so you can rest. I can’t stress enough that you need to eat a good diet – ensure that you eat plenty of protein and iron rich foods.
You may notice that you “show” earlier second time around, this is because your tummy muscles have been stretched before and is quite normal. You may also notice baby movements a little earlier because you know what you are looking for, but don’t worry if you don’t!
Some women say that they are anxious about labour second time around; if you had a difficult labour talk to your midwife about it – ask her what happened and why it happened and what are the chances of it happening again, however second births are usually much easier and shorter. It is usual to be a bit anxious about labour – most women are, but remember you did it last time and you can do it again!
I think it is definitely worth attending childbirth classes if you can – I had four children and I went to classes each time – it gives you time to concentrate on this pregnancy and this new baby; and a birth plan is a great idea, second time around you are better prepared as you know what to expect, you know what you want and don’t want to happen so put it down into a birth plan and if you need advice speak to your midwife.
Successive reports have called for one-to-one care in labour as all outcomes are improved, for example women are more likely to have a normal birth if they receive one-to-one care. However, to some women this means having the same midwife from booking, through the antenatal period, labour and birth and until postnatal discharge – this type of care may not be available in your area unless you employ an Independent Midwife www.independentmidwives.org.uk.
Consider having your baby at home, there are so many benefits, women usually have shorter and easier labours and this time you will be better able to read your body and can stay at home if you feel comfortable and relaxed and you won’t have to leave your first child whilst you are in hospital. Staying upright and active will help with the contractions and also keep the baby in the best possible position for birth, but your body will tell you what you need to do; try to relax and have faith in the birthing process.
Women generally recover quicker second time around, this is partly because labour is usually quicker and easier – and also because being an experienced mother usually helps to establish feeding more quickly.
Unfortunately, the more babies you have, the stronger the after pains usually are – this is because your uterus is having to work harder to contract. Ask for paracetamol which will help and is perfectly safe to take.
Remember that your other child(ren) will need extra love and reassurance – your new baby is much tougher than you think, try to involve the older sibling(s) in what you are doing and have patience – it is usual for children to regress a bit when they have a new baby in the house. Accept any help that is offered and consider staying in your pyjamas for a few days – it shows that you are not at full strength. I think women try too hard to be superwoman, just allow yourself some time to enjoy your new baby – they aren’t babies for long, although it sometimes feels like it when you are in the thick of it!
New video
Posted on: September 26, 2010
I am excited to tell you that I have a new promotional video which details the work I do at www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ah9GBnStVQ
I also have several other videos hosted on YouTube and plan to add more as soon as possible; I should tell you that some of the content is explicit and shows graphic scenes of childbirth.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO0PRvxoEzM
- In: 3 Shires Midwife | artificial rupture of membranes | babies | Birth | birth plan | birthing pool | birthpool | breaking waters | Breech birth | Childbirth | Health | Homebirth | hypnobirthing | Independent Midwife | Independent Midwifery | info@3shiresmidwife.co.uk | labour | pregnancy | Private midwife | twins | ultrasound scan | www.3shiresmidwife.co.uk | www.happyhomebirth.com | www.tamba.org.uk
- 2 Comments
This is a guest blog, written by one of my clients.
My name is Donna and I am a mother of three. Two year old Grace and nine week old fraternal twin girls Olivia and Faith.
My husband Paul and I had always agreed that we didn’t want a big age gap between our children so when Grace was one year old, we decided to begin trying for baby number two. I fell pregnant fairly quickly but unfortunately suffered a miscarriage at 5 weeks which was very upsetting. After a few weeks we were ready to try again and as before, I fell pregnant within a couple of months.
I was very anxious during the first few weeks hoping that this time I would hold onto the baby. At 12 weeks it was time for the scan. I was feeling quite relaxed as the pregnancy was going well and I was feeling extremely sick which I thought was a good sign.
The last thing on my mind was the fact that I could be carrying twins. When the ultrasonographer casually told us ‘oh, you have two in there’, we knew that our lives were going to change forever. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry – so I did both! Everyone in the room was so excited for us but my husband and I were just stunned. His face was a picture. They told me that the reason why I had felt so sick was due to the additional hormone racing round my body. They also told us that the twins were fraternal and each had their own placenta and were in their own sac which is the safest type of twin pregnancy.
The first feeling I had once I had calmed down was that of being pregnant for the first time. My pregnancy suddenly went from having a singleton baby and feeling confident that I had done this before so it will be ok, to all the anxieties of a first time pregnancy.
I knew that I had to do my research so as I could make some informed decisions about my pregnancy and birth. When I told the ultrasonographer that I was planning a home birth, her reaction was ‘oh, you won’t be able to do that with twins’. I had a fantastic pregnancy with Grace and had her at home in a birthing pool. The thought of having to follow a medical route and have my babies in hospital filled me with dread.
As with my first pregnancy, I chose to take on an independent midwife. This was my preference as I knew I would be less likely to end up with a hospital birth. I made sure I looked after myself by eating well, getting plenty of rest (as much as Grace would allow me!) and exercised regularly. I found swimming was great for keeping me fit and taking the weight off my bump. I had regular scans to check on the twins’ development and position. Throughout the pregnancy, Olivia (first born) remained head down and Faith was breech. I knew that this wasn’t ideal but also knew after doing some research that as long as Olivia remained head down and although a little more risky, I could still safely deliver Faith as breech. At 38 weeks I went for my final scan and to my surprise, Faith had done a full turn and was now head down along with Olivia. The perfect combination for birth.
We had put together a birth plan that covered every eventuality if I needed to be transferred to hospital at any stage. Two days after my last scan; my waters broke at 9.30pm when I was lying in bed. I felt a pop and then a head drop down. I walked into the bathroom and called downstairs for Paul saying ‘I think my waters have broken!’ He chased upstairs and I told him to call the midwife. My contractions started almost immediately after my waters broke. I spoke to my midwife and she told me to go back to bed as things may not start to happen until the morning and I would need my rest. Olivia was not going to wait until morning. I came downstairs and stood in the bathroom leaning over the toilet with my contractions coming fast and furious. I tried the TENS machine but that didn’t really work for me. Paul was in the dining room putting together the birthing pool which I got into as soon as it was ready. The relief was immense. I had heard that water was the most effective pain relief next to an epidural – I can well believe that.
I had four midwives looking after me and the babies and they all arrived at my house in time. It was all happening so quickly and Olivia was born in the pool at 11.55pm. She shot out and I heard her crying straight away. I stood up and held my baby; I was elated and also amazed that my babies would have their own birthdays. One of my midwives held my stomach to make sure that Faith fell and engaged in the right position. We knew she was head down so we needed to make sure she stayed that way. We decided to wait for my labour to progress naturally however, it slowed down. I got out of the pool to walk around and see if I could get it started again. Four hours passed and a decision was made to break the waters around Faith as the midwife discovered they were still intact. As soon as the waters were broken, Faith was born on the sofa, again extremely quickly.
She cried straight away and the midwife placed her on me so as I could give her a cuddle and have skin to skin contact. Another of the midwives was looking after Olivia. Both my babies were born healthy and I couldn’t have been happier than I was just then.
The down side was that I now had to deliver the placentae. I was so tired but knew I had to keep going. One of my midwives helped to keep me relaxed with hypnobirthing techniques and control my breathing. The placentae had fused together and were not budging. With a combination of experience from my midwives and a hot towel placed across my stomach, the placenta moved and came away. If it hadn’t been for the determination and skill of the team of midwives, I think I would have ended up in hospital with a retained placenta and that would have been disappointing after going through the entire birth at home.
So all was well. I was in good health and although extremely tired, felt elated and proud that I had accomplished the birth I wanted. My husband Paul was fantastic during and after the birth and I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive birthing partner.
A home birth is not for everyone and if there had been a health issue with either myself or my babies, I would have chosen hospital care.
I wanted to share my story so as other women can see that you do have choices during pregnancy even when you are having twins and you can make decisions that are right for you. For more information about twin and multiple pregnancies visit www.tamba.org.uk
Donna has also set up a website which offers information about homebirth; she offers a free ebook at www.happyhomebirth.com
Save Independent Midwifery!
Posted on: August 22, 2010
It is crunch time and we really need your help if independent midwives are going to be able to practise in the UK in future. If you recognise the value of personalised, high quality midwifery care throughout pregnancy, birth and after the baby is born that an independent midwife is able to provide, then please could you let the government know NOW.
For several years the government’s new policy that all healthcare professionals have indemnity insurance has been put on hold. Last year the government commissioned the Finlay Scott Review to look at the feasibility of indemnity insurance as a condition of every healthcare professional’s registration. The Review has now been published and recommends that indemnity/insurance should become mandatory and a requirement for registration. However it also recommended for those groups for whom the market does not provide affordable insurance or indemnity (independent midwives), the relevant Departments of Health in the four countries of the UK should decide if the continued availability of this service is necessary; and, if so, should seek to facilitate a solution to the problem. (See more information in the letter below)
The Departments of Health are due to respond imminently to this Review – and their responses will be a perfect vehicle through which to address this anomaly with solutions from policy-makers.
Can you please send an email to your MP and copy it to your relevant Department of Health. Could you also print your letter and send it as a hard copy to your MP and Department of Health as although slower, receiving lots of letters is more effective. Please feel free to use any information on this page, and/or include your own feelings and experiences.
Find your MP by clicking on: http://findyourmp.parliament.uk/ and click on his/her website to find their email and constituency postal address. Don’t use the House of Commons address for MP’s at this time of year as it is in summer recess.
Departments of Health:
England:
Mike.Lewis@dh.gsi.gov.uk
Mike Lewis
Senior Policy Manager
Professional Standards Division
Department of Health
2N10 Quarry House
Quarry Hill
Leeds.
LS2 7UE
Scotland:
Catherine.clark@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Catherine Clarke
Regulating Unit
Chief Nursing Office
St. Andrew’s House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG
scottish.ministers@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Nicola Sturgeon
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing
The Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh
EH99 1SP
Wales:
correspondence.edwina.hart@wales.gsi.gov.uk
Edwina Hart
Minister for Health and Social Services
Welsh Assembly Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ
Northern Ireland:
private.office@dhsspsni.gov.uk
Michael McGimpsey
Minister for Health, Social Services and Public Safety
Room C5.10
Castle Buildings
Stormont Estate
Belfast
BT4 3SQ
Please inform as many other friends, family and supporters such as local NCT groups, Women’s Institute, etc as possible.
Without positive government intervention independent midwifery will become illegal in the very near future. If a solution is provided, it could benefit maternity services in the UK for decades to come.
Thank you for your support!
Sample letter
Dear MP
RE: Finlay Scott Review
I’m writing to ask for your help in giving thousands of families greater opportunity to have safe positive pregnancies and births with support into early parenting.
The Government recently heard from the Finlay Scott Review, which had been asked, to look at indemnity insurance as a condition of professional registration. The Review recommended that the Government should make indemnity / insurance a requirement of every healthcare professional’s registration. However it also recommended for those groups for whom the market does not provide affordable insurance or indemnity (independent midwives), it should decide if the continued availability of those services is necessary; and, if so, should seek to facilitate a solution to the problem.
There are currently approximately 100 independent midwives in the UK, providing high quality, one-to-one care to families throughout pregnancy, birth and early parenthood. It is this kind of genuinely personalised care, from their own midwife, that growing numbers of women want. It has significant public health benefits in terms of increased normal birth and breastfeeding rates and saves money.
Taking on independent status is also something which offers great advantages to midwives themselves, empowering them as frontline workers, to work closely with women and with more flexibility in their working lives – crucial if the drain of midwives from the profession is to be reversed.
The barrier to independent midwives providing this service is that they cannot be indemnified or insured. This is due to the number of independent midwives currently being too small to enable the risk to be pooled and spread in a way that produces an affordable premium. There is simply no insurance available for independent midwifery services. This is standing in the way of more pregnant women benefiting from this type of care and enabling more midwives to work this way.
In 2013, independent midwifery will be made illegal under EU law if a solution is not found. EU legislation by then will require all health professionals to have indemnity/ insurance.
The benefits of finding a mechanism to indemnify or insure independent midwives will be:
• independent midwives will be able to provide care within the NHS with improved public health outcomes, reduction in costs and increased choice for women;
• women’s choice will be maintained;
• the risk reduced of some women choosing to give birth unaided if unable to access care that is acceptable to them within the NHS;
• midwifery expertise in normal birth skills will not be lost;
• more midwives staying in the profession.
The government is due to respond imminently to the Findlay Scott Review. The Review recognises that a potential problem arises from its recommendations but also acknowledges that the government could intervene to provide an affordable solution.
Please support my request to recognise the importance of this service for the safety and wellbeing of mothers, babies and families by calling for the indemnity/insurance issue to be resolved by the Department of Health.
Regards
Thank you so much for your support!
Valerie Gommon
Independent Midwife
Valerie Gommon Midwife's Blog 