Safety and regulation
Regulated midwifery practice: what it means
Midwifery is the most securely regulated profession in the UK. All practicing midwives must adhere to the Midwives' Rules which are enshrined in the 1902 Midwives Act of Parliament and subsequent amendments. All independent midwives have undertaken full midwifery training (within the NHS) and are 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 demonstrate that our clinical practice is up to date and must attend mandatory emergency skills and drills updates - these are a way of ensuring our knowledge and actions are safe and contemporary within our sphere of competence.
My Supervisor is at Torbay Hospital, Devon and is available for my clients to contact at any point during their care.
What would happen in an emergency and what equipment do you carry?
Research has shown that for most women, homebirth is at least as safe if not safer than hospital birth. As the experts in childbirth, midwives recognise the early warning signs that things may not be progressing normally and to take appropriate action, such as a swift transfer to hospital. Midwives are competent in performing emergency resuscitation of both mothers and babies. We attend regular training to maintain and update our knowledge in neonatal resuscitation and obstetric emergencies and carry essential emergency drugs and equipment. I am proud to say that I am skilled and well-practiced at IV cannulation and carry IV resucitation fluids (unlike NHS community midwives who do not do either and often rely on hospital anaesthetists to site cannulas). I would not feel confident to attend to women at home without these essential life-saving skills.
All my equipment gets checked on a yearly basis by a supervisor of midwives. As Independent midwives, mainly facilitating homebirth, we are very astute to the fact that sometimes emergencies do occur and our skills reflect this.
Do you have backup?
Yes, my midwife partners act as my backup when my clients are in labour. Working in pairs means that it is far easier to manage an emergency event. We each have private indemnity insurance through IMUK (Independent Midwives Association).
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Regulated midwifery practice: what it means
Midwifery is the most securely regulated profession in the UK. All practicing midwives must adhere to the Midwives' Rules which are enshrined in the 1902 Midwives Act of Parliament and subsequent amendments. All independent midwives have undertaken full midwifery training (within the NHS) and are 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 demonstrate that our clinical practice is up to date and must attend mandatory emergency skills and drills updates - these are a way of ensuring our knowledge and actions are safe and contemporary within our sphere of competence.
My Supervisor is at Torbay Hospital, Devon and is available for my clients to contact at any point during their care.
What would happen in an emergency and what equipment do you carry?
Research has shown that for most women, homebirth is at least as safe if not safer than hospital birth. As the experts in childbirth, midwives recognise the early warning signs that things may not be progressing normally and to take appropriate action, such as a swift transfer to hospital. Midwives are competent in performing emergency resuscitation of both mothers and babies. We attend regular training to maintain and update our knowledge in neonatal resuscitation and obstetric emergencies and carry essential emergency drugs and equipment. I am proud to say that I am skilled and well-practiced at IV cannulation and carry IV resucitation fluids (unlike NHS community midwives who do not do either and often rely on hospital anaesthetists to site cannulas). I would not feel confident to attend to women at home without these essential life-saving skills.
All my equipment gets checked on a yearly basis by a supervisor of midwives. As Independent midwives, mainly facilitating homebirth, we are very astute to the fact that sometimes emergencies do occur and our skills reflect this.
Do you have backup?
Yes, my midwife partners act as my backup when my clients are in labour. Working in pairs means that it is far easier to manage an emergency event. We each have private indemnity insurance through IMUK (Independent Midwives Association).
Click here for Home Page
Click here for How I Work: Common questions