Homebirth and the regulator: An abrogation of responsibility

In 2006, following considerable lobbying and consultation, the Mid wifery Committee of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) updated guidance on the responsibility of a midwife to attend a homebirth (NMC, 2006). At the time, this circular was a powerful directive that asserted the rights of women to choose their ‘place of birth’ and set out the responsibilities of midwives to support women who opt for a homebirth.

Homebirth had long been a contentious subject, but in the intervening decade since the publication of this NMC circular, birth at home is well supported by the research evidence (Brocklehurst et al, 2011; Li et al, 2015) and is part of the Government's vision for the future of maternity care in the UK (National Maternity Review, 2016). So what has happened in the intervening 10 years?