Safety First
Regulated Practice: What it means
Midwifery is the most securely regulated profession in the UK. As practicing midwives we adhere to the Midwives' Rules which are enshrined in the 1902 Midwives Act of Parliament and subsequent amendments.
Every independent midwife has undertaken full midwifery training (within the NHS) and is subject to annual supervisory visits and equipment checks, in line with the requirements of our regulatory body, the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council). We are required to ensure that our clinical practice is up to date and that our actions are within our sphere of competence.
What would happen in an emergency and what equipment do you carry?
As the experts in childbirth, midwives recognise the early warning signs of when labours push safe parameters and how to take safe action, ie. emergency treatment and if needs be a swift transfer to hospital.
I am competent in performing emergency resuscitation of women and babies. I attend mandatory skills days at Torbay Hospital (courtesy of Katherine Morgan, PD MW) where I update my competencies in neonatal resuscitation, adult life support, obstetric emergencies and a broad spectrum of additional medical disciplines and theory. Furthermore I have advanced training in cannulation, IV management and administration of emergency fluids, ie. above and beyond the scope of my NHS counterparts who do not take such equipment to homebirths. It's with confidence that over the years I have managed several emergencies in the home setting.
My equipment gets checked annually by my Supervisor of Midwives (Anne-Marie Whiting, SoM).
Do you have backup?
Yes - I am honoured to have trusted colleagues Mandy Bellenger and Sue Spender who act in the capacity of backup midwives. Depending on your location, one of them will will join us for the birth of your baby. Working in pairs means that it is far easier to manage the occasional emergency event and strongly question the professionalism of any midwife who works as a sole practitioner.
Do independent midwives have insurance?
Yes and the details of this are available as part of our legal Contract at booking.
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Click here for Informed Choice: An Overview of how I Work
Regulated Practice: What it means
Midwifery is the most securely regulated profession in the UK. As practicing midwives we adhere to the Midwives' Rules which are enshrined in the 1902 Midwives Act of Parliament and subsequent amendments.
Every independent midwife has undertaken full midwifery training (within the NHS) and is subject to annual supervisory visits and equipment checks, in line with the requirements of our regulatory body, the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council). We are required to ensure that our clinical practice is up to date and that our actions are within our sphere of competence.
What would happen in an emergency and what equipment do you carry?
As the experts in childbirth, midwives recognise the early warning signs of when labours push safe parameters and how to take safe action, ie. emergency treatment and if needs be a swift transfer to hospital.
I am competent in performing emergency resuscitation of women and babies. I attend mandatory skills days at Torbay Hospital (courtesy of Katherine Morgan, PD MW) where I update my competencies in neonatal resuscitation, adult life support, obstetric emergencies and a broad spectrum of additional medical disciplines and theory. Furthermore I have advanced training in cannulation, IV management and administration of emergency fluids, ie. above and beyond the scope of my NHS counterparts who do not take such equipment to homebirths. It's with confidence that over the years I have managed several emergencies in the home setting.
My equipment gets checked annually by my Supervisor of Midwives (Anne-Marie Whiting, SoM).
Do you have backup?
Yes - I am honoured to have trusted colleagues Mandy Bellenger and Sue Spender who act in the capacity of backup midwives. Depending on your location, one of them will will join us for the birth of your baby. Working in pairs means that it is far easier to manage the occasional emergency event and strongly question the professionalism of any midwife who works as a sole practitioner.
Do independent midwives have insurance?
Yes and the details of this are available as part of our legal Contract at booking.
Click here for Home Page
Click here for Informed Choice: An Overview of how I Work