Women in England to self-refer online for midwife appointments
- 12 August 2025
- NHS England has announced that pregnant women can now self-refer online to get their first midwife appointment without seeing a GP
- More than three quarters of trusts in England are now connected to the service
- Data from NHSE show that nearly 60,000 newly pregnant women have self-referred online since the tool began rollout in March 2025
NHS England has announced that newly pregnant women can now self-refer online to get their first midwife appointments.
Mums-to-be can at more than three quarters of trusts in England can refer themselves directly to local maternity services without seeing a GP by filling out an online form on NHS.uk.
The 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.”
NHSE data show that nearly 60,000 newly pregnant women have started their referral online and nearly 85,000 people have accessed the portal since it began rollout in March 2025.
Prior to launch of the tool, expectant mums could self-refer via local trust sites, but it is estimated that only 50% of people accessed these services, with many going unnecessarily via their GP.
Wes Streeting, health secretary, 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.”
The NHS drive to help speed up access to pregnancy care follows data showing that only 62% of first appointments with maternity services happened within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy in 2023/24.
Dr Claire Fuller, NHS national medical director, said: “This quick and easy tool can help ease pressure on practice teams, who won’t need to make the referral themselves, and by freeing up that time there will hopefully be a benefit for other patients who are looking to make an appointment with their GP”.
It is estimated that the service could lead to 180,000 fewer calls to GPs and up to 30,000 fewer general practice appointments each year.
However some maternity advocates raised concerns about the inclusivity of the online booking service.
Abbie Aplin, director of maternity reform and improvement at the Royal College of Midwives, said: “Making sure those who don’t have easy access to smartphones and technology aren’t excluded from this will be really important”.
Dr Jyotsna Vohra, director of research, programmes and impact for the charity Tommy’s, said: “Being able to self-refer online for a first midwife appointment will be a positive choice for many, as long as the system is as simple and user-friendly as possible.”
Meanwhile, in June 2025, the Department of Health and Social Care announced that it will launch a national maternity dashboard, following a series of high-profile failures in maternity care across several NHS trusts.
