Threat to independent midwifery services posed by new legislation making insurance compulsory

Although ‘critiquing’ might sound a very ‘academic’ word, it is a familiar activity within our everyday life. So many TV programmes critique activities as diverse as dancing on ice, ballroom dancing, X Factor singing, films, books and plays, as well as sports events such as football and rugby matches. All these follow a similar structure; they consider content, the level of performance, and how it compares to the best of its type.

Proposed by the Independent Midwives Association (IMA) the NHS Community Midwifery Model is being considered by the Department of Health. The suggestion is that it sit alongside the current provision and be available to any midwife interested in working in this way and to women who would like to have genuine continuity of care.

One of the articles in this issue which immediately caught my eye - 'Gold standard maternity care under death sentence - Threat to independent midwifery services posed by new legislation making insurance compulsory', focuses on the challenges currently facing independent midwives in the United Kingdom. It also directly relates to the principle of ‘choice’ for all pregnant women, a number of whom, each year, will choose to receive their maternity care from an independent midwife.

In light of the recent attention on maternal and infant health outcomes identified by the UK media, MIDIRS looks at these issues in detail, and reflects on a celebration later this year of 20 years of Safe Motherhood, an international initiative to improve the health of childbearing women.