§ Baroness Finlay of Llandaffasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many midwives are practising independently; and what difficulties they experience in obtaining professional indemnity cover. [HL2511]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner)The Department of Health does not collect information about the number of practising independent midwives.
Guidance on the arrangements for clinical negligence claims in the National Health Service was published in 1996. Independent midwives who are not working under a contract of employment with the NHS or contracted to an NHS body to provide services to persons to whom the NHS owes a duty of care are responsible for obtaining their own professional indemnity cover, as are other self-employed professionals.