Suspended midwife ‘pleased’ to be allowed resume practice

The HSE has reinstated the indemnity insurance for home-birth midwife Philomena Canning, opening the way for her to resume her practice.

Ms Canning’s insurance was suspended last August following a decision within the HSE that two births she had delivered required investigation, despite no adverse consequences for anybody involved.

An investigation was launched in September and Ms Canning was unsuccessful in seeking a High Court injunction to stop her suspension. Her reinstatement comes two days before an appeal to the Supreme Court was to be held, and following the receipt by the HSE of two independent reports which are understood to be favourable to her case.

In a letter sent to her solicitors, and seen by the Irish Examiner, it is stated that “the HSE has reached a decision that the necessary foundation no longer exists for the continuation of the temporary suspension of your client’s clinical indemnity insurance and that the temporary suspension is no longer necessary in the public interest”.

Ms Canning has always maintained her suspension was completely unnecessary, and adversely impacted on both her and her clients.

Her suspension led to a campaign being set up on her behalf to lobby the HSE and the body politic, which in turn saw the case raised a number of times in the Dáil.

“I am very pleased to be reinstated to practice by the HSE, who suspended me over five months ago, on no grounds,” she said.

“These have been the most challenging months of my life, as a single midwife battling for my rights and reputation against the power and might of the HSE.

“My suspension has had untold consequences for all 29 of my clients, and it is this that has given me the greatest heartache, particularly the two women unnecessarily placed at the centre of the HSE’s so-called investigation into my practice.”

The investigation into the two cases is ongoing. Ms Canning is also involved in a legal action against the HSE for damages due to the suspension.

She said the outcome was a good day for the rights of Irish women for choice in childbirth and for the midwifery profession committed to safeguarding them and their babies.

“We have a long way to go to ensure that the rights to a home birth is made lawful in Ireland and that a situation such as this cannot happen again,” she said, adding, “But for today, we celebrate.”