Mums-to-be in the East of England can skip the GP to get faster first NHS midwife appointments

Newly pregnant women across the East of 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 now 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.

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.

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

In the East of England, more mums-to-be are choosing online referral, with the three trusts in the country with the most engagement with the self-referral form for maternity services all within the East region:

• Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust – 1704 referrals made online
• North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust – 1256 referrals made online
• Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – 1218 referrals made online

Nearly 85,000 (84,678) people have accessed the portal in total to receive information and support, with over 12,216 of those in the East of England.

Grace Sutton from March in Cambridgeshire used self-referral for two pregnancies. The operations manager, 30, said: “I found it a really simple process. Once I had completed the form, I got a call within 48 hours from the community midwife about booking my appointment, and in the case of my second pregnancy, I had that appointment within about four weeks.

“It was really straightforward and reassuring to get the first appointment quickly and I liked how it enabled me to get set up on the My Pregnancy Notes website so I could then keep track of my whole journey.”

The NHS’ chief midwife in the East of England has today 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 that mums-to-be access care, the sooner the NHS can also offer antenatal screening – and the midwife will also ask mums about their medical history, including any past pregnancies, their general health, and any medications they’re taking to develop a personalised care plan based on their needs.

Wendy Matthews OBE, Regional Chief Midwife for NHS England – East of England, said: “It’s vital that newly mums-to-be get the support they need as early as they can and now it’s easier than ever to book that all-important first maternity care appointment.  It is always good where possible to book with your local maternity unit and community midwife for your care. This can save you time and money in travelling long distances for appointments.

“This new on-line referral system is a leap forward in helping women have more control and more agency when they begin their pregnancy journey and the system is improving their access to timely, personalised care.

“GPs will always be available for any pregnant women who have concerns about their pregnancy that they need to discuss, or other health conditions that need monitoring, or who don’t have access to smartphones. However, GP teams don’t need to be the first point of contact when someone finds out they’re pregnant, so this quick and easy tool is also helping ease pressure on GP practice teams and freeing up time for other patients who are looking to make an appointment with their GP.”

The new NHS drive to help speed up access to pregnancy care comes following latest national data showing only 62% of first appointments with maternity services happened within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy in 2023/24. Prior to launch of the new tool, expectant mums have been able to self-refer via local Trust sites, however it’s estimated that only 50% of people were accessing these services directly, with many going unnecessarily via their GP to access maternity care. 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.

The NHS maternity self-referral portal can be found here: Refer yourself for NHS pregnancy care – NHS.