Your Right to Choose if NHS Home Birth services are suspended in your area

Give Birth at Home — With ZEST Midwives Support

At ZEST Midwives, we believe that the option of giving birth at home should be available to everyone, regardless of location or circumstances.

If your local NHS homebirth service is unavailable or suspended, you still have the right to choose home birth under the Human Rights Act (Article 8) — protecting your right to make informed decisions about your body, your care, and your birth.

If home birth is not an option or home birth is suspended in your area – Download our Letter template below edit it with your information and give to your hospital or trust. For personalised and guaranteed full continuity of care from antenatal, birth and postnatal care you can also book a private ZEST independent midwife by clicking to “Find a midwife” below.

There is another way…

Download the Letter Template
Find a ZEST Midwife

An NHS Funded Home Birth with ZEST Midwives

With ZEST, staffing barriers which is one of the most common reasons home birth services may be suspended, are removed. Our registered independent midwives are able to work collaboratively with NHS trusts to provide NHS-funded homebirth care, giving you a safe and supported option for you to give birth at home within the NHS. The ZEST independent midwives care for them in exactly the same way as they would with a private client under their care. Transfer back to the NHS is possible if clinically appropriate.

Learn more about the high professional standards our midwives uphold on our ZEST Certified page.

Continuity of Care: The ZEST Difference

ZEST Midwives are proud to have already supported many women and birthing people to approach their NHS provider and secure funding to access the full continuum of care with a ZEST Registered Independent Midwife.

There are many proven advantages to having continuity of carer throughout pregnancy, birth, and the postnatal period — a model that many NHS homebirth services cannot currently guarantee.

KQSC Members

Research shows that pregnant women and birthing people provided with continuity of carer are:

Less likely to have an epidural
Less likely to have an episiotomy
Less likely to have a birth assisted by forceps or ventouse
Less likely to be induced
Less likely to have a premature birth
At lower risk of losing their baby

Other benefits of continuity of carer during labour and birth include:

Greater chance of spontaneous vaginal birth

Shorter duration of labour

Reduced chance of caesarean birth

Reduced need for pain relief or epidural

A more positive, empowering birth 
experience

Why NHS Trusts Are Working With ZEST

More and more NHS trusts are reaching out to ZEST Midwives to help deliver safe, sustainable homebirth NHS options.
Many trusts are currently unable to provide a sustainable home birth service or true continuity of carer, but the ZEST collaborative model bridges this gap.

Working with ZEST provides:
Guaranteed one-to-one midwifery support
A named and consistent ZEST Registered Independent Midwife leading your care
Safe, consistent care for homebirths or midwifery-led unit births
Fully registered midwives who have access to exclusive insurance to enable them to offer the full continuum of care

If you wish to plan your NHS-funded home birth or give birth in a midwifery-led unit, the ZEST collaborative model can support you — whatever your unique health and care needs.

With ZEST, your independent midwife NHS home birth experience ensures your voice is heard, your choices respected, and your care fully personalised.

How to Request an NHS-Funded Birth At Home with ZEST Midwives

It’s your birth — and it’s your right to choose.

Follow these simple steps to request ZEST to provide your homebirth with the NHS:

  1. Download the letter template we’ve created for you.
  2. Edit the letter and fill in your personal details — your name, NHS number, expected due date, and trust.
  3. Send the letter by email or post to your NHS trust contact:
    • Head of Midwifery (HOM)
    • Director of Midwifery (DOM)
  4. Ask your trust to contact ZEST Midwives directly at:
    📧 info@zest-midwives.co.uk
  5. Request confirmation from your trust that your request is being actioned.

✅ Tip: Keep a copy of the letter for your records and follow up if you don’t receive a response.

By taking these steps, you ensure your homebirth is supported, your continuity of care is protected, and your birth preferences are respected.

Next steps if home birth is suspended in your area…

Take control of your home birth

Download the Letter Template to
Request an NHS/ZEST Midwife Homebirth
Search for a ZEST Independent Midwife

ZEST Independent Midwives

The information on this page is for those looking for homebirth services in the NHS where they may have been suspended or unavailable. This information may not come to light of homebirth may be suspended late in the pregnancy term.

At ZEST – our independent midwives are available to book directly so you can choose your own midwife or doula that aligns with you and your values and birth choices. Booking a ZEST independent midwife directly enables the full continuum of care from early pregnancy, full antenatal care, right up until birth and into postpartum care.

Visit our ZEST Directory to view all our registered Midwives and Birth Workers
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