AN IMPORTANT hearing for the future of independent midwives will run for an extra day.

Earlier this week members of the Independent Midwives UK (IMUK) put their case in front of the Royal Courts of Justice in the hope they can continue their right to practice.

But it has been decided the hearing will run for an extra day than anticipated and a date will be set for November.

Secretary of IMUK and Oxford midwife for nearly 30 years Meg Miskin said it was a ‘really important’ case.

She said: “We are still really positive about this case.

“I think by taking an extra day, which our lawyers have said is quite unusual, the judge is clearly looking at all the evidence and will not be making any snap decisions which is a good thing.

“We are only eager to get back so we can be ready to help those mothers about to give birth.

“Hopefully we will get a decision before the end of the year.”

Since 2014 the government has required all healthcare professionals to hold some form of professional indemnity against possible medical claims.

IMUK claim they have met those requirements, but the regulator, the Nursing and Midwifery Council NMC, disagrees.

IMUK claim the regulator has acted unfairly and unlawfully in refusing to accept their proposals.

At the moment, the NMC’s decision prohibits their 78 members from practising, and that will remain the position if the ruling is not overturned.

So three members of IMUK and one of their clients have crowd-funded a judicial review into the NMC’s decision. The result of the NMC’s decision, if it is upheld by the court, would be to restrict IMUK members’ role to antenatal and post-natal care only.

A date has been set for the third day of the hearing for Wednesday, November 15.