September 03, 2002

UK Midwives lose their Professional Indemnity Insurance

Received an email today from Virginia Howes, an independent midwife in the UK. She explains the current situation regarding PI insurance for independent midwives in the UK: diabolical! Here are some of the details she included (the comments in italics are mine):

"The regulatory body for midwives, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), formerly known as the UKCC, wants to introduce a clause into the Code of Professional Conduct, making it mandatory for all nurses and midwives to hold professional indemnity insurance (PII).
Prior to 1994, independent midwives had PII as part of their membership to the Royal College of Midwives but then this was stopped. [The members were asked to vote to increase the annual membership fee by just of £3.00 but this was rejected by the members at large]
From 1994 until March this year it has been possible for independent midwives to purchase some form of PII, but it has become more expensive year on year until reaching £18,000 - £20,000 a year/midwife (more than many independent midwives earn) and few companies [are] offering it. This left midwives with the choice of giving up independent practise or practising without insurance.
From March this year no PII has been available in the UK, at any cost, as insurers all around the world have pulled out of the market. This means that all midwives who practise independently now have no choice but to practise without PII.
If the NMC makes it mandatory for midwives to have PII, independent midwives will be forced to cease practising in the UK. This will instantly remove the option for women to choose this form of maternity care. The Independent Midwives Association (IMA) is seeking a QC legal opinion on the legality of the introduction of such a clause.
The IMA believes that the NHS are also struggling with the cost of insurance/litigation and will soon be unable to afford it as it consumes ever increasing amounts of the NHS resources. The only possible solution we can see is some form of ‘no fault medical accident compensation scheme’ to be introduced and remove insurance from the equation."

I'll bet this sounds very familiar to Australian midwives ! Midwives in the UK are now gearing up for a fight similar to that going on here, and they have until Sepember 30 to state their case before the consultation period set by the NMC closes

I am not a believer in conspiracy theories, but sometimes there seems to be more than coincidence at work. Of all the professionals working in midwifery care, why are midwives being singled out for this harsh treatment? Is this a final attempt to put midwives firmly in their perceived place - working in hospitals under medically determined policies ? And what of the women and the notion of freedom of choice?

Posted by andrea at September 03, 2002 01:55 PM

Comments

Interesting. My previous post is missing.

Posted by: zip codes on September 6, 2003 06:44 PM

Comments

You may find it interesting to visit the sites about poker card, casino no deposit, online casino casions, gambling cash, blackjack sites, roulette casions, gamble tip, internet casino web, slot machine odds, online casino bonus deposit, online gamble game, casino gambling strategies, casino game strategies, las vegas table, video poker casinos, roulette online card, slot rule, blackjack online deposit, blackjack betting 3d, poker 888, gambling 8888, blackjack tip, poker on net, casino casions, casino gaming, gambling no deposit. .

Posted by: blackjack on January 19, 2004 08:02 AM

Comments

You may find it interesting to check the pages in the field of phentermine effect, zyban tablet, viagra cream, propecia for woman, online pharmacy prescriptions, tramadol mens, ultram 400mg, wellbutrin resistance, paxil overnight, meridia comparing, zyrtec online, xenical cheap, vioxx 12 5mg, vaniqa dosage, retin a canada pharmacy, prozac on line, generic viagra 10 pills, celexa woman, buy phentermine addiction, xenical capsules, ambien substitute, dilenyoung about, hopforyou pills, kip980 perscription medication, mng765 what is, pol_uri facts, piter_gordon mail order, miss20092000 2 month supply, robert_zed2003 fasten, fp292003 men, diagodream supplements, jacglen2003 can i, lisa_plamer products, gill_bern review, gtrgtr45 100mg, poklop2000 men`s, nolzer12 men`s, rtopopi mail order pharmacy, oklokol for woman, racertroy2003 information on, viagra information about, phentermine alternative. .

Posted by: fp292003 on January 21, 2004 01:52 PM