PURPOSE:
Most homebirths are safe and empowering experiences for women and families. Occasionally emergencies arise and the ambulance service is called to assist. Midwives and ambulance crews must work together in "flash" teams to provide safe and compassionate care to the woman/birthing person and family. We developed a joint training programme which we co-designed and collaboratively delivered to ambulance clinicians and midwives from 18 NHS Trusts in the UK. The intended and unintended consequences were overwhelmingly positive.

DISCUSSION:
Ambulance clinicians are highly skilled professionals with expertise in resuscitation, seizure management and other critical presentations. Midwives are highly skilled professionals in providing care to women and families throughout pregnancy and birth. When these professionals work together in extremis, it is essential that they have an understanding of their different scopes of practice and collectively resolve emergency situations. By ensuring ambulance services and midwifery services are collaborating to provide safe care, homebirth becomes a safer and more empowering option for women/birthing people and their families.

EVIDENCE WHERE RELEVANT:
100% of attending ambulance clinicians reported feeling significantly more confident in their role at maternity calls following the training. 100% midwives said that they had improved their knowledge of the scope of practice of different ambulance clinicians. Midwives and ambulance clinicians reported feeling much better prepared and more confident in working together to resolve obstetric emergencies. Midwives said this made them feel more confident when counselling women regarding homebirth. When attended by hospital midwives, the training gave them an appreciation of the role of the community midwife.

KEY MESSAGE:
Ambulance clinicians are not always seen as key system partners in the provision of safe and empowering maternity care. However they have a key role in supporting safe homebirth services. The joint training programme that we created, refined and implemented had huge benefits to all members of the multidisciplinary team. Marginalized - maternal separation (including three-minute presentation competition)