Research carried out in the Netherlands has shown that for low risk women, home birth is as safe as hospital birth. The study found no difference in death rates of babies or mothers in over 500,000 births. Full story at BBC News 15 April 2009 However,the Royal College of Midwives have raised concerns in response that the NHS is geared to hospital births and is not ready to cope with the demand for increased numbers of homebirths, and that more midwives are needed. Nursing Times 15 April 2009