Hi Everyone,
I hope no-one minds me crossposting this from another group, but I feel it is so important to all mums and mums-to-be. The following email/post is from Stuart Bonar who is the Public Affairs Officer at the Royal College of Midwives. If you read this and it is something you feel strongly about please contact your MEP and/or crosspost this to other relevant forums/groups.
Thank you for your time.
Melanie -
"Hi All,
Feel free to cross post.
There is a proposed new European law that, if passed as currently written, would end independent midwifery here in the UK. We need your help to stop that happening.
The new law has a very worthy aim: to allow people to access healthcare more freely elsewhere in Europe. This would, for example, make it easier for an elderly British national who has retired to, say, Spain, to have their hip replacement in Britain and be looked after by their relatives still living here.
In drawing up the draft wording of the new law, the European Commission has sought to insert safeguards into the text to ensure that people travelling abroad for their care can be confident of its quality. One of those safeguards would be a legal requirement that
all healthcare professionals have professional liability insurance, or are otherwise protected (through, for example, their employer's insurance scheme).
Independent midwives are unable to obtain such insurance. This law would therefore end their practice. We do not believe this was intentional, but merely a well-meaning oversight. Nevertheless, the unforeseen consequences of this need urgent correction. Despite repeated efforts, the RCM has been unable to persuade insurance
underwriters to quote for such a policy.
Please help us defend independent midwives.
We need you to write to the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs or Euro-MPs) you represent your region. You can find out who represents you (it's more than one) by visiting the WriteToThem - Email or fax your Councillor, MP, MEP, MSP or Welsh, NI, London Assembly Member for free website and putting your postcode into the box. Click on each MEP's name to send them a free message via the website. The draft law (or Directive) is the one on "the application of patients' rights in cross-border healthcare". It is important that you mention this in your message to the MEPs so that they know exactly what it is you're writing to them about.
Indeed, the exact part of the Directive in question is Article 5, paragraph 1(e) - if you mention that then they will be looking at exactly the right place.
It is important to mention that independent midwives cannot obtain this insurance - it's just not available.
You may also like to mention the two possible solutions that the RCM is proposing:
- An "availability & affordability" test - this could be inserted into the text so that the requirement for insurance will only apply if both the Government is a particular country and the European Commission are both satisfied that such insurance is both commercially available and affordable.
- Deletion of Article 5 - this is the bit of the Directive containing the problematic bit; deleting it in its entirety would solve the problem at a stroke.
MEPs will be voting on this on 12th March, so if you want to help, please do. It'd be helpful to let me have copies of any replies you receive. You can email me outside of facebook at [email protected];
Thank you & apologies for the long message!
Stuart
Stuart Bonar
RCM Public Affairs Officer"