Wirral PCT first to sign up private midwifery service

Dec 7 2011 by Liam Murphy, Heswall News

A PRIVATE company will provide maternity care in Wirral under a unique deal.

One To One (NW) signed a three-year contract with Wirral primary care trust and said it wants to develop similar relationships with other PCTs across the North West.

Joanne Parkington, founder and clinical director of One To One, said the contract was probably the “biggest thing to happen in midwifery” for more than 100 years.

The deal followed a successful pilot scheme in Wirral in which more than 200 mums-to-be used One To One for all aspects of their pregnancy other than the actual birth.

With the backing of the Department of Health, the company has secured the insurance it requires to now be able to provide expectant mothers with the complete service, including delivery.

Ms Parkington said: “We aim to reinvent free midwifery services by delivering a personalised service which places women and their families at the heart of their care.”

A spokeswoman for Wirral PCT said: “We are pleased to be able to offer women in Wirral a choice in how and where they would like their maternity care to be delivered.”