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The Quarterly Round-Up
NCT News In Brief
Tracy Lee-Southon, mum to Noah (6) and Naomi (3)
fees charged may be too much for some families, many independent midwives will try to reach flexible arrangements on payment.
NCT strongly supports the model of care offered by independent midwives as it is woman-centred, evidence-based and results in positive outcomes for mothers and babies. We hope to see the Department of Health and the NMC reach a solution on the requirement for healthcare professionals to hold indemnity insurance that will enable sole independent midwives to continue to offer this model of care.
As a charity that supports all parents we will also continue to work toward a situation when all women receive high quality care, including real choice and continuity of carer.
Tackling tongue-tie
In response to calls from parents, NCT are calling for better services for babies with tongue-tie. Lots of parents have been in touch with us to tell us that it took weeks or even months for the fact that their baby had tongue-tie to be diagnosed and that the
problem is not being picked up by health professionals. Tongue-tie can lead to babies not being able to feed properly and prevent them from gaining weight in their crucial first weeks. There's more information on it at www.nct.org.uk/parenting/tongue-tie..
In March, the NCT released a statement supporting the model of care offered by independent midwives. Independent midwives offer a service to pregnant women which provides a safe and high-quality level of care, including:
• a great degree of
choice, including of
birth location
• continuity of carer
• excellent postnatal
care, including
breastfeeding support
In some areas, independent midwives have formed organisations which are contracted by the NHS to provide a service that is free of charge to women and families. Where an independent midwifery service is not under NHS contract, women pay directly for their care and while the
NCT statement on independent midwifery
NCT wrote to then Health Minister Dr Dan Poulter MP calling on him to improve the diagnosis and treatment of tongue-tie in the UK, saving the NHS money and parents and babies stress and anxiety. NCT wants to see more professionals trained to recognise and deal with the problem as current NHS treatment is often patchy and sometimes non-existent.
You can also campaign to improve tongue-tie services in your area by following the guidelines on NCT's website.