Please help, am in tears!! Nifty test & nhs related

[Swifey]

I have just come off the phone with my local (Wiltshire) hospital, who have informed me that because I am having the nifty test in London, they won't do the nhs tests, and will not even allow me the basic 12 week scan at my nhs hospital. Feel totally let down and scared now. I would like to think that I am allowed to go to the nhs hospital like every other pregnant woman, is this not the case? Nothing else in the pregnancy will be private, and I will give birth in the nhs hospital. I just don't know what to do? I am meant to speak to the senior maternity sonographer this afternoon, but would like to know where I stand first. Any info and help would be gracefully received. Thanks in advance xx

[DaniAlvez]

Not sure what NIfty is but when I had a private 12 week scan at Fetal Medicine Centre in London, my NHS hospital refused to do it a second time. I think that was more to do with not having unnecessary scans so I was happy not to do it again. Are there any scans involved with Nifty?

[CrispyFB]

If you're going to a decent clinic in London, they'll scan you anyway to check for viability. The FMC does the NT screening too including bloods but I'm guessing you're not going there as last I heard they only offered Harmony? It's worth ringing the clinic you're going to and asking what they do.

I skipped my NHS NT screening through choice as I had mine at the FMC.

There IS still a point to the NT screening - a thickened nuchal fold can indicate other issues not related to the things NIFTY/Harmony etc test for e.g. cardiac issues. And the NT bloodwork can indicate issues with the placenta later on. Use that in your argument with the NHS if the clinic won't do the NT scan.

Will they still let you do the anomaly scan as it's ridiculous if they won't - NIFTY doesn't screen for most of the issues that can be picked up at 20 weeks on a scan!

Good luck!

[Magnolia2014]

I had NIFTY at 13 wks, and the appointment includes a scan for nuchal translucency and other markers (nasal bone, blood flow), as well as just the blood test. So i felt it wasn't necessary to have NHS 12 wk scan too, as my understanding is that NHS tests don't give any extra info. Antenatal clinic asked me to give them a copy of my scan report from the clinic I had NIFTY done at, and then they booked my NHS 20wk/anomaly scan.

[Marnierose]

I would think carefully before pushing the nhs scan. Ask yourself what you would do with the information from the nhs nt screening. If it came back high risk would you trust your nifty result or would it cause you lots of worry and stress? If you would then go on to have a diagnostic test as a result is it really worth paying out for the nifty?

[lizhow14]

I don't know much about the nifty but I currently access one to one midwives but I am still entitled to everything available locally with the NHS. Even if you go with private/independent midwifery you don't opt out of NHS available tests/care. How do they know you are having the test? I would speak to someone senior. To me private things run alongside NHS as I still pay my taxes/NI every month so entitled to everything I choose to access.

[gunwalloe]

My experience was the opposite I had the harmony test at the FMC so phoned my hospital to cancel my nuchal but they still wanted to scan me so that they had there own data. On the day of the scan they wanted to do the nuchal but I declined as I had already had one.