Mothers-to-be should be given "personal budgets" worth at least £3,000 to pay for the care they receive while giving birth, a major review has concluded.
Under plans announced today by the National Maternity Review, women will be given a budget to be spent on the NHS care of their choice – whether they give birth in a midwife-run unit, a hospital or at home.
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The budget can be used for anything from birthing pools to hypnotherapy. Pregnant women could opt for a hospital near their workplace for routine scans and a hospital closer to home for their baby's birth.
With half of maternity services in England classed as "inadequate" or "requiring improvement", the flexibility the scheme offers will be welcomed by many.
"It means you will have a wider range of choices and your choice will be respected and implemented," said Conservative peer Baroness Cumberlege, who chaired the review. "That gives you more authority over where you manage your pregnancy, birth and postnatal care."
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the report was "a significant moment for the NHS, giving women more choice, making services safer and helping to shape maternity care for years to come".
However, the plan has been compared to the controversial personal health budgets offered to those with disabilities or long-term conditions, which has been criticised after reports that some patients used the funds to pay for holidays or buy video games, say Sky News.
Elizabeth Duff, the senior policy adviser at the National Childbirth Trust, said the scheme "might increase anxiety because [women are] being pushed into a choice they don't understand the consequences of".
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