Legalities
Contracts and Fees: The cost of our full package of care is £3,750. When you engage our services we will draw up and sign a contract. We would normally ask for a deposit of £1,000 at booking, with the remainder of the fee payable in regular instalments. We would like to receive the full fee before the 36th week of pregnancy.
Confidentiality: Our working relationship with you is based on trust.
All information you give us is treated as confidential and will only be shared
with other practitioners on a ‘need-to-know’-basis. If you feel that this is an
issue for you, please discuss this with your primary midwife and complete a
pro-forma for the disclosure of confidential information. There are rare
exceptions to the above where the law emands that appropriate authorities need
to be informed. We would never disclose confidential information about you
without your prior knowledge.
Our care is based on the information you give; we will offer information at all stages to enable you to make the choices and decisions most appropriate to you. If you choose to withhold information from us, we will not be able to provide you with the best possible care.
To assist us to provide you with effective care, and in order to comply with Nursing & Midwifery Council regulations, we are required to keep records of all care given. These records are the joint property of you and your primary midwife; she will provide you with a copy of your notes as a keepsake after your care is completed.
You have the right to cease to employ us as your midwives at any time, however any fees paid will be retained by us for services already provided. We have a right to withdraw our services if we feel that we are unable to maintain an honest relationship with you in order to help you prepare to achieve the best possible outcome for you and your baby.
Complaints: If you are not happy with any aspect of our service, please discuss it with us as soon as possible. It is much better to air grievances early and clear the air than to allow them to fester. If you do not feel able to approach your own midwife directly, please feel free to contact the other midwife, or arrange for a third party to contact us to negotiate a mutually agreeable solution.
Insurance: There is no professional indemnity insurance for midwives practicing outside of the NHS in the UK. This means that if you felt that you or your baby had come to harm through action, inaction or negligence on our part, you would not be able to claim against an insurance policy, although you could choose to bring a civil case. Our practice is safeguarded under Statute by our registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC), and monitored for safety and excellence by Supervisors of Midwives.
Supervisors of Midwives: Midwifery supervision is enshrined in law, and aims to protect the public and promote excellence of midwifery care. When you book with us we will give you the contact details of a local supervisor of midwives who we will be liaising with. All midwives have an annual supervisory review and equipment check, and may discuss complicated cases with a supervisor at any time. A supervisor of midwives can suspend a midwife from practicing if she feels that her practice is unsafe, pending a hearing by the NMC.
Registration: All UK midwives are required by law to have up to date registration with Nursing & Midwifery Council, and to keep up to date with skills and knowledge. You can access the NMC website to check the registration of any midwife, nurse or health visitor.
Data Protection: We are registered with the Information Commissioners Office for Data Protection purposes. Our paper records are stored in locked filing cabinets, and we are obliged by law to keep them for at least 25 years. We will not pass on your contact details to third parties.