Doulas - are they a professional service and legally liable if anything goes wrong?

[DuchessChesh]

Hi. I am in the second year of my Law degree and doing some research on birth trauma. What happens when things go wrong and a child is born with disabilities. When this happens in the NHS, the Trust is liable and can be sued to cover the care costs for the child for life. Private midwives have very limited insurance cover. What about Doulas? Where do they fit in? I am interested in understanding more about a Doulas role at birth and what the mums who have used them think when something went wrong. Do Doulas just support the mum or do they advocate on her behalf? Very interested in all experiences please, good and bad.

I looked I to becoming a doula. They are essentially a birthing partner like dad would be, only exception is that they tend to be women who have been through the birthing experience, so they would advocate the wishes of the patient but at the end of the day mum still has to consent to procedures
That's my understanding anyway, so it would still be the trust who would be liable

Are you going to cite mumsnet in your thesis?! Do your own bloody research.

Hi, you might want to contact DoulaUK and have a look at their website (as I am sure that you might have done already...) as most of what you are asking is on their website.

A doula is not a professional person. You do not need any training or qualifications to call yourself a doula and it is not a protected title (like that of Midwife etc).

Doulas do not provide medical care or advice and have no say or standing. No medical person will listen to a doula over what the woman herself says or in lieu of a doula. They are literally there to support the mum and if that means she feels more comfortable saying what she wants then great, but they can't speak for her. As such they have no decision making ability and therefore they have no liability; if they provide medical care they are acting outside their remit and could be prosecuted for acting as a midwife while unqualified.

I do know what I am talking about but please don't quote me in your thesis; there's more 'official' research that will look much better than a quote from 'RubiksQueen'.

In answer to your thread title:

‘No’

HTH.