Mr. Peter Thompson:

The big changes in the UK over recent years are that we had targets which we had to reach for booking women, so having first contacts before 12 weeks of gestation was increased to having two contacts before then. The other key change was direct access to midwives. Initially, one had to get an appointment with one's family doctor and the family doctor would refer the woman to the midwife and-or the hospital. Now, there is direct access to the midwife so one almost misses out on the first part of the chain, which in some ways can be bureaucratic for many patients. The midwives will liaise with the GPs and the GPs can input from there, but it is not dependent on the GPs initiating the first contact. Women find it easier to contact midwives in those circumstances.