This is far from true now. G eneral Practitioners are the gate-keepers to the place of birth. Some warn women that they may haemorrhage to death, and that their babies may die or be brain-damaged if they insist on home birth. G.Ps can strike a recalcitrant patient off their register without any further explanation, or, alternatively, play along with her until at the end of pregnancy they announce that her blood pressure is up or the baby is too large, or too small, or in a difficult position, without producing evidence for this. There is an acute midwife shortage.
Many midwives leave the profession because of low job satisfaction.
Accordingly, letters are sent out by Health Trusts instructing pregnant women already booked for home birth that they may have to come into the hospital. In some cases women have been told this as late as 39 weeks. T he UKCC, the regulatory body for all nurses, midwives and health visitors, is concerned that Trusts no longer accept responsibility to provide a community midwifery service. Care is fragmented and women are being directed to hospital whether they like it or not. L egally Trusts have not had a statutory duty to provide a domiciliary birth service since the NHS was re-organised in the 1970s.