Pregnant women in England can self-refer to midwife without seeing GP

Hundreds of thousands of newly pregnant women across England can now self-refer online to get their “all-important” first midwife appointments quicker, ensuring the best and most personalised care for their baby.

By completing a simple online form on NHS.uk, mums-to-be can refer themselves directly to their local maternity services without seeing a GP first.

The new NHS England service enables families to choose which NHS trust to refer themselves to, helping them to meet their midwife and begin NHS pregnancy care as early as possible.

Kate Brintworth, NHS chief midwife, said: “It’s so important that newly pregnant women get the support they need as soon as possible, so this new tool makes it easier than ever to book that all-important first maternity care appointment.

“Making this process simpler at the touch of a button is a vital step in empowering women to take control of their pregnancy journey right from the very start and improving access to timely, personalised care.”

First appointments are vital to help expectant mums talk through anything that might be worrying them about their pregnancy and arrange important early screening tests, including to identify those with potentially high-risk pregnancies.

While most women do not need to see a GP before they start their pregnancy care with their midwife, anyone can still request to see their GP if they’d like to – and those with other health conditions will still be encouraged to meet with their doctor to discuss any changes to their existing care.

The new NHS drive to help speed up access to pregnancy care comes following latest data showing only 62 per cent of first appointments with maternity services happened within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy in 2023/24.

The NHS’ chief midwife has urged newly expectant mums to refer themselves as early as possible to ensure the safest possible care for their baby and that they can get the support they need.

The earlier mums access care, the sooner the NHS can also offer antenatal screening – tests during pregnancy to check for conditions affecting mother or baby – and the midwife will also ask about medical history, including any past pregnancies, general health, and medications, to develop a personalised care plan.

Early data shows that nearly 60,000 newly pregnant women have started their referral online since the new tool first began to be rolled out in March – with over three-quarters of trusts in England now connected to the service to support hundreds of thousands to access maternity services faster.

Nearly 85,000 (84,678) people have accessed the portal in total to receive information and support.

It is estimated that the new service could also lead to 180,000 fewer calls to GPs and up to 30,000 fewer general practice appointments each year.

Prior to launch of the new tool, expectant mums have been able to self-refer via local trust sites, however it is estimated that only 50 per cent of people were accessing these services directly, with many going unnecessarily via their GP to access maternity care.

Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting said: “Early pregnancy should be about joy and excitement – not wrestling with NHS bureaucracy to book a midwife appointment.

“That’s why we’ve overhauled the online referral system.

“No more endless phone calls or form-filling. Just a simple online service that lets you book those crucial first appointments with a few clicks.

“Almost 85,000 women have visited the service since March – proof that when we embrace technology under our Plan for Change, patients win.

“This is exactly the kind of reform patients are calling for, bringing the NHS into the 21st century and delivering the service people deserve.”