Midwife confidentiality

[Shannon001]

Hi!

I’d like some advice regarding my midwife and confidentiality. Myself and my sister are a few weeks apart in gestation, live in the same area and therefore have the same midwife. My mum called me today to say that she’d received a call from her Dad (my grandad) to say that my sister had missed a few appointments and that she needed to contact her midwife soon before other agencies got involved.

Turns out our new midwife is, not directly, related to us and is telling family members about going’s on. I am genuinely worried that I have confidential information in my notes that will be relayed, too.

I just don’t know how to approach the situation. Surely it’s against confidentiality regulations just to talk to someone about a patient? Let alone it being someone you know. Any advice about how to approach this would be greatly appreciated!!! :)

Can I suggest you contact the Community Midwifery Manager/Lead where you are booked? Go via the hospital switchboard. If you can't get through, ask to speak to one of the Managers on Labour Ward.

Yes, from what you say, she is breaching confidentiality.

If the midwife is a family friend / relative, it could be that she's trying everything she can think of to get hold of your sister before she has to refer her to social services (IIRC, missing a certain number of antenatal appointments triggers this on the grounds that you're depriving your unborn child access to healthcare or something along those lines). So she could be trying to do your sister a favour, but she's going about it the wrong way, by breaching her confidentiality.
The only exception to the breach that I can think of would be if your sister has for some reason put your grandad down as her next of kin. Then the MW would be entitled to contact him and disclose the missed appointments, and it would be your grandad who's overstepped by sharing with the rest of the family. But this scenario seems unlikely.

Report her to the NMC (nursing, midwifery Council)

That’s absolutely appalling, and I’d be making formal complaints both to her employer and the NMC immediately while requesting a different midwife and assurance that my private medical information would be kept confidential.

I think she’s probably trying her best to get your sister to take her appointments and her baby’s health seriously. I doubt she has been telling anyone about you.

think she’s probably trying her best to get your sister to take her appointments and her baby’s health seriously. I doubt she has been telling anyone about you.

!?

‘Trying her best’ isn’t a justification for a serious breach of confidentiality from a medical professional. Midwives, nurses, doctors, therapists, all have confidentiality laws drummed into them throughout their training. Whatever this midwife’s motivation she has broken her profession’s ethical guidelines and will be at risk of being disciplined or even struck off, as she should be.

Christ almighty, would you be okay with a world where your doctor or midwife can break your confidentiality in an illegal and unethical way as long as they were ‘trying their best’!? I’m assuming you don’t work in the medical professions!