The Clinical Indemnity Scheme (CIS) covers the clinical activities of public health doctors, nurses, community midwives and other community based clinical staff providing services on behalf of the Health Services Executive (HSE). This cover includes HSE midwifery led community schemes and voluntary hospital maternity services. In relation to home births for women, professional indemnity is provided under the Clinical Indemnity Scheme. This indemnity covers self-employed community midwives who enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the HSE concerning maternity care for women who opt for home birth. The women concerned must meet the carefully established medical and other criteria set out in the Memorandum. Apart from this Scheme, the Clinical Indemnity Scheme does not provide indemnity to health care professionals who are providing private services in the community (i.e. those who are not providing services on behalf of the HSE). Healthcare professionals operating in a private capacity must purchase indemnity cover from commercial insurers and I have no plans to extend the Clinical Indemnity Scheme to these healthcare professionals. The Government remains committed to the development of Primary Care services in the community; where people will have direct access to integrated multidisciplinary teams of general practitioners, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and others.
