People are paying thousands of pounds to hire private midwives out of frustration at the poor service many patients in the NHS face, with women feeling fobbed off and ignored.
A growing number are paying up to £8,000 for maternity care, contributing to a rise in the number of people turning to the private sector as the NHS struggles to provide fast and safe care.
Last month, MPs found that women had been mocked, ignored and left with permanent damage during childbirth by NHS midwives and doctors. Britain’s first study into birth trauma found that poor childbirth care was so common, and its consequences so damaging, that ministers and NHS bosses had to make significant changes.
Portland Hospital in London is the only private maternity hospital in Britain, and a birth there starts at £7,495 for a consultant-led vaginal birth. The hospital said it had seen an “increase in expectant mothers choosing it”. A spokesperson added: “We notice that more and more women also want the guarantee of the continuity of the care we provide.”
Midwives who work independently outside the NHS are also reporting a sharp increase in cases.
Jacqui Tomkins, who has been a self-employed midwife for more than 20 years, said inquiries doubled from two to five per week after the pandemic and remained high. She said many women were seeking extra support due to “trauma from their birth experience”. They were also looking for continuity of care provider and “a midwife they know and trust”.
She said: “Women who book with me and my practice can give birth at home or in a birth center at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital (in London). I have a contract with that trust that allows me to work this way. It’s pretty fantastic and gives women complete control over the birthplace decision-making process.
“If a woman gives birth at home and it looks like she needs a more medical approach, then we go to the hospital.”
Self-employed midwives need professional liability insurance to practice their profession. “There is a limited supply in the commercial markets, but it is expensive and limits the way you can practice,” Tomkins said.
On average, private obstetric services cost between £4,000 and £8,000. This usually includes prenatal care, presence at birth and postnatal support. The cost for antenatal support alone is approximately £2,500.
Kat Munday, an independent midwife, said her fellow self-employed colleagues had noticed more women looking for “a private midwife”. Munday said the reasons for the strong demand include caregiver continuity, an increase in the number of women choosing a free birth, the cancellation of home birth services by some NHS trusts and negative reporting on NHS maternity services.
“People are choosing the services of a private midwife, either as an alternative to accessing NHS care or in addition to it,” she said.
The Mid Cheshire Hospital Trust does not have private maternity care, but offers private rooms for postnatal stays. The number paying for these rooms has increased from 1,470 in 2016 to 6,100 last year. According to Great Western Hospitals Trust, private room revenues have increased from £142,606 in 2018-19 to £164,854 in 2023-24.
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The Royal Surrey Trust saw 12 patients who had private consultant-led caesarean sections in 2021, and the same number in 2024. Income from the service rose from £59,183 to £84,999 in that time. In 2021, 64 patients paid for private rooms at the trust after birth, generating £28,126 in income. The number rose to 116 in 2024, raising £65,684.
One of the larger private NHS healthcare trusts, Imperial College, bucked this trend. It says the number of private patients has fallen from 1,110 in 2018 to 916 last year. In 2018 it earned £6.6m and last year £6.4m.
Dr. Katrina Erskine, an obstetrician and gynecologist at Portland Hospital, said women were seeking “fluctuations in private obstetric care, mainly due to the economic situation”. Rather than seeing a substantial increase in the number of women seeking private services, Erskine said more women were opting for a caesarean section on the NHS.
She said: “We saw a lot more women deciding that they don’t want the fear of a birth where they could have a difficult birth… so they opt for a planned caesarean section and that is certainly the case. is increasing… This is influenced by women reading bad stories or hearing from friends about a bad experience.”