Expectant mothers to bypass GP and go straight to midwife

Women will now be able to refer themselves to local maternity services ‘at the touch of a button’ say NHS officials. Ella Pickover reports

- 

EXPECTANT mothers are to bypass seeing their GP and can now book straight in with their midwife for pregnancy care, NHS officials have announced.

Traditionally, mothers-to-be made an appointment with their family doctor to tell them the news before being booked in with their midwife.

‘And in recent years, online self-referral has been introduced by local health bodies.

But NHS leaders said that only half of expectant mothers were using these services directly, with many going “unnecessarily” to their GP to access maternity care.

Women will now be able to refer themselves to local maternity services “at the touch of a button” via nhs. uk, which will give them faster first appointments, NHS England said.

It is hoped that the move could free up tens of thousands of appointments for overstretched GPs.

Officials stressed that women can still see a GP if they would like to, adding that some with long-term health conditions will need to discuss changes to their care or treatment plans with a doctor.