Where's the midwifery in midwife-led care?

THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE is
to share some of our insights and thoughts
about midwife-led care (MLC) which have
arisen whilst engaged in an action research
project recently.
As a result of a new hospital being built
locally where all current in-patient services
would be centralised, many concerns were
expressed over the future of the midwife-led
unit (Deery et ai, 1999). This was accommodated
in separate facilities to the obstetric-
led unit and enjoyed a good reputation
and increasing use by local women and midwives.
Part of the reconfiguration of services
locally meant that this unit would,
from 200 1, share the same geographical
location with the obstetric-led unit.