Switching maternity provider

[LittlePandaLife]

Hoping someone can help, as I am not sure how this works...

I live on the boundary between 2 NHS trusts. When I informed my GP I was pregnant they put me in contact with the maternity hub in the one trust and I have my booking in appointment next week. However, the actual hospitals in that trust where you can give birth are quite far from my home, and I would like to give birth at my closest hospital which is in the other trust.

I know that I can choose where I give birth, but do I need to tell them asap and switch my antenatal appointments to the trust I want to give birth in?

Thanks for help!

In the trust I work for, you would need to do a new self referral for the trust you would like to book at and just cancel your appointment with the other trust. We don't really hand any information over, but seems as you haven't booked yet there would be nothing to hand over anyway. That is what all the trusts around my area do.

I moved house when I was 6 months pregnant. All I had to do was fill out a new self referral for the trust of the area I moved to. I then got a booking appointment and was duly transferred over.

You probably have to do the same - just fill out a new referral for where you want to give birth.

In my area I self-referred for community midwives that I see for my regular appointments and also referred myself to a hospital a bit further away with better facilities to give birth and I have had my 12 week and 20 week scan there. They aren’t in the same area so I have badger notes for one and another system for the local appointments etc, but it works fine. So I think you should be able to have both if it’s the same in your area.