Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that independent midwives can access affordable indemnity cover; and if he will make a statement.

It has been a legal requirement since 2014 for all healthcare professionals, including midwives, to have adequate indemnity arrangements in place. This requirement ensures that there is redress available for women and families should anything happen to them or their babies during childbirth. Individual professionals are responsible for ensuring that adequate indemnity insurance arrangements are in place.

The Government supports choice in maternity services, but this has to be a safe choice. It is therefore appropriate that registered midwives are required to have adequate indemnity insurance to cover their scope of practice.

Whether or not a midwife’s indemnity cover is appropriate is a decision for the Nursing and Midwifery Council as the independent regulatory body responsible for the regulation of midwives in the United Kingdom.