Independent Midwifery

Midwifery is the most securely regulated profession in the UK. All practising midwives must adhere to the Midwives' Rules which are enshrined in the 1902 Midwives Act of Parliament and subsequent amendments. All independent midwives are subject to yearly supervisory visits and equipment checks and must notify their NHS appointed Supervisor of Midwives of their "Intention to Practise" each April. In line with the requirements of our regulatory body, the NMC, we are required to ensure that our clinical practice is up to date and that our actions are within our sphere of competence.

Independent midwives are fully qualified midwives who have chosen to work outside the NHS, in order to be able to use their midwifery skills to their full extent. However, they are happy to liaise with other NHS professionals when it is necessary. Independent midwives provide care antenatally, during labour and the birth, and postnatally. Because they only look after small numbers of women, they can provide a continuity of care which is not always available on the NHS.

Many women who hire independent midwives are planning a home birth, although some are planning a hospital birth, or to give birth in a birth centre. Women who may otherwise be unlikely to have a birth without medical interventions may benefit from hiring independent midwives. For example, independent midwives are often experienced in helping women to give birth to breech babies, or to twins, or if a woman has had a previous Caesarean section. Some women with uncomplicated pregnancies may choose independent midwifery care because of the confidence and support it gives them.

Some independent midwives practise alone, and others group together to form independent midwifery practices. Some of these practices also run birth centres in which women can give birth.