Mums-to-be attending Queen’s and King George hospitals for their maternity care will be asked to provide two forms of identification as part of a Department of Health (DH) pilot we’re taking part in.

The pilot, beginning on Monday 4 September, is looking at how best to establish whether or not people are eligible for free NHS care and is being run across a variety of NHS departments across the country by the DH, supported by NHS Improvement.

People who do not usually live in the UK are not eligible for free care on the NHS, and must pay for their treatment.

Mums attending Queen’s and King George Hospitals will see no change in the care they receive; we’ll simply be asking them to provide a photo ID and proof of address at their first appointment with us.

Our Chief Nurse, Kathryn Halford, said: “This pilot will have no impact on patient care and I’d like to reassure women that if they have any concerns about whether they have the right form of ID, or whether they forget it on the day, their appointment will of course go ahead as planned.

“We know that the NHS generally is under real financial pressure, so it is important that where we can, we do our best to support. Ensuring that the right patients receive free care is one way of doing that.”

Any patients with concerns about bringing their identification can call 01708 435 165.

Maternity care will never be refused for any patient.

Find out more about what forms of identification you should bring on our maternity pilot page.