Flexibility for independent midwives

I first heard about UK Birth Centres Ltd's Professional Risk and Indemnity Scheme for Midwives (PRISM) when it launched in February, directly through Private Midwives. The scheme is one-of-a-kind and allows self-employed midwives to work as part of a company that is Care Quality Commission (CQC) registered and regulated. This means that I will benefit from the comprehensive insurance and governance that is required for self-employed midwives to operate, which is normally extremely cost prohibitive. The PRISM scheme also has a robust governance structure and comprehensive professional indemnity schemes, which allows me to work outside of the NHS in a private setting.

Having been a midwife both privately and in the NHS for nearly 15 years, it was great to find a scheme that enabled me to not only work autonomously and independently, but also offered the security I need. For the two years prior to joining PRISM, I was working for Private Midwives on their bank, a casual form of employment where midwives adopt a workload that suits them and fits into their lifestyle. For me, this would usually involve taking on around 12 to 15 clients at one time, yet I was still able to benefit from having access to equipment and supplies, incentives and rewards, and a pension scheme. Working in this way offered many benefits, but there is even greater flexibility within the new scheme.