The death of independent midwifery?

[Snaf]

May I draw your attention to this?

I am a fervent supporter of the NHS and the struggle of NHS midwives to provide good care and support everyday, but I also feel very strongly that alternatives should be available to those that want/need them. This proposal is yet another nail in the coffin of maternal choice.

If this legislation goes ahead, it will effectively mean the end of independent midwifery. I know that lots of MNers have had great experiences with IMs and I'm sure the IMA would appreciate your support if you (and anyone else!) would like to lend it.

Just wanted to say thanks for this thread - I'll def forward it to a couple of journo friends. Basically I'm in , we are v lucky where we live and in effect have an IM service under the NHS (but it's so rare). Having said that I learnt more in 1 hour of speaking to an IM than I had with the whole of the birth of DD1, and as result had DD2 at home, no pain relief etc. No 3 due in 7 weeks...
One thing - has anyone passed the "stats" on MWs to the GMC/whoever - eg no of home births, no of stitches/episiomtomies etc. What really struck me was that when the MW is left to do her job things like stitches etc are almost NIl. That's not to say that we don't need hospitals we absolutely do and most IMs are quick to say that - so why can't they find a way to work together ? Surely it would be cheaper for the government in the long run if more people had non intervention births....?

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It is shocking but the government are not looking at the benefits, they are blinkered. Insurance did not save Jessica Palmer, the woman who died from childbed fever that went unrecognised.

www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=442017&in_page_id=1770

If she had had an uninsured IM though, I am sure she would have been alive today.The IM would have known her really well, known what was normal for her, visited daily and would have had a bloody thermometer. It makes me furious and so sad for her family...I WISH she had had an IM..

We MUST fight to save independent midwifery.

SIGN THE PETITION petitions.pm.gov.uk/midwives/

Should the legislation be passed in its present ?catch-all? form, it would inadvertently ?outlaw? the care of pregnant women and birthing mothers by independent midwives, making their practice illegal, as they would no longer be able to register as midwives.

SO SIGN THIS PETITION! - pass this link on to everyone you know. We CAN make a difference

You can also write directly to the Secretary of State for Health:

Secretary of State for Health
Department of Health
Richmond House
79 Whitehall
London SW1A 2NS

or

Patricia Hewitt at TheyWorkForUs.Com

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Scottish petition

i have signed the petition - who can i send the letter to - is my local MP the most appropriate person or the Health Secretary????

Interesting comment from Glassofwine. My independent midwife was fantastic, and I signed the petition because I support choice. I think the point is, you can find incompetence anywhere unfortunately. When I had my ectopic pregnancy in December I went for a scan when I was worried about the pain to a doctor on Harley Street who is supposedly world class and - as the pictures up all over his office attest - delivering for the great and the good etc. He's undoubtedly insured too by the way! The guy told me I was 'overegging it', to come back in a couple of weeks when he could see something on the scan and let me go. I was in an NHS hospital two hours later bleeding and in agony. They were not fantastic by any means either, the only person who got me through this was my former IM from my 1st pregnancy. In contrast to that bloody OB who is probably on £1m + per year, she actually knew the FACTS about ectopic, what tests I needed to get NOW, took me seriously, helped me pursue it and may well have saved my life as apparently the tube was close to ruptering.

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You can find the details of who to write to at www.saveindependentmidwifery.org/
and also see the media stories coming up. There is an article in todays times as well!

I also think if all of us here on mumsnet sign and pass on to all of our address books, that will make a difference. Also if there are any celebs here, please put your face to the campaign too! Some are already coming forward, lots of v big names use IMs as well as us mere mortals

bump

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Have signed both petitions. It's so completely outrageous. So much for choice! I know some IMs and they want to have insurance but affordable insurance so that they can work and live.

just signed scottish one too !

i have signed the Scottish one too

I am all for IM but i am afraid that i do not agree with anyone practising medical procedures without insurance. I think the petition should be for more affordable and accessible insurance for midwives. It does seem like a ploy by the government to get the IM's to return to the understaffed NHS, which seems very underhanded to me.

I dont think IMs will go back to the NHS so that would be a loser for the govt.My IM would definately leave midwifery altogether.

It seems really unfair that the royal college of midwives stopped insuring the IMs. I thought they were meant to look after their members?

I have signed both.

I am a member of the RCM and there is no way that the RCM could afford the payment either as it was so excessive. That would mean that the ordinary membership would have to foot the bill for those who choose to work independently.
The issue is that there should be affordable insurance in the first place.