Terms and Conditions of Service
I'm here to walk alongside you through every stage of your journey into parenthood. Providing independent midwifery services, tongue tie assessment and division and birth trauma counselling.
Supporting women and families across Yorkshire,
Derbyshire, the East Midlands and surrounding areas.
Terms and Conditions of Service
Effective from: 21/08/26
These Terms & Conditions explain some of the practical arrangements that apply when you book private midwifery care with Reclaimed Birth with Hannah.
They should be read alongside your signed contract, the details of the individual package or services you have booked, and my Privacy Notice.
Your individual agreement will set out the specific services included in your package and the fees payable.
Nothing within these Terms & Conditions affects your statutory rights as a consumer or seeks to exclude any responsibility that cannot lawfully be excluded.
1. The nature of independent midwifery care
1.1 I provide care as an independent, self-employed Registered Midwife and remain professionally accountable to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
1.2 Pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period are inherently individual and sometimes unpredictable. I cannot guarantee a particular pregnancy or birth outcome, mode or place of birth, or that plans made during pregnancy will remain clinically appropriate throughout your care.
1.3 You remain at the centre of decisions about your care and have the right to make informed choices, including choices that differ from recommendations made to you.
1.4 I also remain professionally accountable for the care that I personally provide. There may therefore be circumstances in which I recommend additional assessment, referral, transfer to hospital or a change to our original plan. I cannot provide care that I believe falls outside my professional competence or that I cannot provide safely or lawfully.
2. Services included in your care
2.1 The specific services included in your care will be detailed in your individual agreement or package.
This may include antenatal appointments, on-call availability for labour and birth, attendance at birth, postnatal care, infant feeding support, education and other agreed services.
2.2 Any additional care or appointments outside your agreed package will be discussed with you and may incur an additional fee.
2.3 Where a fee applies, this will be agreed with you before the additional service is provided wherever reasonably possible.
3. Appointment times and flexibility
3.1 Appointment times are arranged in good faith and I will make reasonable efforts to arrive at the agreed time.
3.2 However, independent midwifery care is inherently unpredictable. My arrival time may occasionally be affected by traffic, travel conditions, urgent clinical needs, a client requiring longer than anticipated at an appointment, attendance at a birth or other circumstances arising during the course of my professional work.
3.3 I will let you know about significant delays wherever reasonably possible via WhatsApp, text message or a phonecall.
3.4 Appointment times should therefore be understood as planned appointment times rather than guaranteed arrival times.
3.5 One of the benefits of independent midwifery is having time for care that is responsive to the individual rather than being restricted to a rigid appointment schedule. Occasionally this means I may spend longer than expected with another family, just as I will make additional time for you when you need it.
4. Rearranging appointments
4.1 There may be occasions when an antenatal or routine postnatal appointment needs to be rearranged at short notice because I am attending another client in labour, responding to an urgent clinical situation or providing time-sensitive postnatal care.
4.2 The first days following a birth can require particularly responsive care, and I may sometimes need to adjust my planned working day to accommodate this.
4.3 I appreciate that last-minute changes can be inconvenient. I will give you as much notice as reasonably possible and will rearrange affected appointments as soon as practicable.
4.4 Continuity-based midwifery care requires a degree of mutual flexibility. At some point during your own care, you may be the family whose labour, birth or postnatal needs require me to rearrange another client's appointment. I therefore ask all families choosing this model of care for reasonable understanding when unexpected changes are necessary.
5. Length and scheduling of appointments
5.1 Appointment lengths are approximate. Some appointments may require more time because of clinical findings, feeding difficulties, emotional support, decision-making or other individual needs. Other appointments may require less time.
5.2 Postnatal appointments are arranged according to the needs of you and your baby, alongside my wider caseload. Particularly during the first week following birth, exact appointment times may sometimes need to remain flexible.
6. Communication
6.1 You can contact me for routine enquiries via WhatsApp, text message or email.
6.2 You must call me directly for any urgent pregnancy concerns and when you believe labour may have started.
6.3 Routine messages and emails should not be assumed to be monitored continuously.
6.4 During your agreed on-call period, please use the contact method I have given you for labour and urgent concerns. Keeping me informed during early labour is particularly important because it allows me to plan my movements and other commitments and to travel to you at an appropriate time.
6.5 My availability does not replace emergency services. If you believe you or your baby require immediate emergency medical assistance, you should call 999 rather than waiting for a response from me.
7. Labour and birth attendance
7.1 Where birth attendance forms part of your package, I will make reasonable efforts to attend your labour and birth in accordance with our agreement.
7.2 Because the onset and speed of labour cannot be predicted, a particular arrival time cannot be guaranteed.
7.3 You agree to keep me reasonably informed about signs of labour and to contact me using the agreed method when you require my attendance.
7.4 There may be exceptional circumstances in which I am unable to attend personally, including illness, another birth occurring at the same time, serious family circumstances, severe travel disruption or another situation outside my reasonable control.
7.5 Where appropriate and reasonably possible, backup arrangements will be used in accordance with your individual agreement and professional requirements.
8. Backup and second midwives and doulas
8.1 Where your planned care requires a second or backup midwife or doula, I will make reasonable efforts to arrange appropriate cover.
8.2 Where reasonably practicable, you will have an opportunity to meet or have contact with another midwife or doula who may be involved in your care before birth.
8.3 Although continuity with me personally is an important part of my service, it cannot be guaranteed in every circumstance.
9. Your homebirth environment
9.1 If you are planning a homebirth, you are responsible for providing reasonable access to your home and for taking reasonable steps to prepare the environment for birth.
9.2 Birth involves bodily fluids, which may include amniotic fluid, blood, urine, faeces and other substances. These may stain or damage carpets, flooring, furniture, bedding and other belongings.
You are responsible for deciding what protection you wish to use for your home and possessions.
9.3 I cannot accept responsibility for staining, soiling or damage that occurs as a normal and reasonably foreseeable consequence of labour, birth or immediate postnatal care.
9.4 Nothing in this section excludes responsibility for loss or damage where liability cannot lawfully be excluded.
10. Birth pools and equipment
10.1 Where you choose to use a birth pool, I will arrange the hire of a suitable birth pool on your behalf. The cost of the pool hire and any associated equipment is included in your package.
10.2 I will arrange the hire in good faith, but the birth pool and associated equipment remain subject to the terms, availability and conditions of the third-party hire provider.
10.3 You and your birth partner or supporters are responsible for preparing an appropriate space for the pool, protecting floors and surrounding belongings, and assisting with practical arrangements such as filling and emptying the pool, unless we have specifically agreed otherwise.
10.4 I will provide guidance about preparing for use of the pool and its use during labour and birth.
10.5There may be circumstances in which I recommend that the pool is not used, or that you leave the pool, because of clinical or safety concerns. The availability of a birth pool does not guarantee that it will be possible or appropriate to use it during labour or to give birth in water.
11. Access, parking and travel
11.1 Please provide accurate information about your address and anything that may affect access to your home, including parking restrictions, gates, entry systems, significant road access issues or changes to your planned place of birth.
11.2 Please tell me promptly if you move home or your planned place of birth changes.
11.3 Travel times are estimates only and may be affected by traffic, accidents, road closures, weather and other circumstances outside my control.
11.4 Any additional travel or parking charges that are not included within your package will be discussed with you where applicable.
12. A safe working environment
12.1 I need to be able to provide care within a reasonably safe working environment.
12.2 Please let me know in advance about anything within your home that could significantly affect my safety or that of another midwife attending with me.
12.3 I may ask for pets to be secured during appointments or birth where necessary.
12.4 Smoking or vaping should not take place around me while I am providing care.
12.5 I will not tolerate threatening, abusive, discriminatory or violent behaviour towards me or another professional working with me. Serious concerns about personal safety may mean that I need to leave the environment and, where necessary, arrange or recommend alternative care.
13. Your relationship with NHS maternity services
13.1 Independent midwifery care does not remove your ability to access NHS maternity, obstetric, neonatal, ambulance or emergency services when required.
13.2 I recommend that you register with your local NHS maternity service during pregnancy. However, registration with NHS maternity services is your choice and is not a condition of receiving care from me.
13.3 If you choose not to register with your local NHS maternity service, it is important that you understand the potential implications of this decision. If you require urgent or emergency NHS care during pregnancy, labour, birth or the postnatal period, the receiving service may not already hold your maternity records or have prior knowledge of your pregnancy, medical history or birth plans. This may affect the coordination of your care and, in some circumstances, could contribute to delays while relevant information, assessments or arrangements are established.
13.4 By choosing not to register with an NHS maternity service, you acknowledge that you have been advised of the potential implications of this decision, including the possibility that accessing or coordinating NHS maternity care may take longer in some circumstances.
13.5 If transfer to hospital or NHS assessment becomes necessary, I will provide an appropriate clinical handover and share relevant information with the healthcare professionals involved in your care.
13.6 Where you are registered with an NHS maternity service, with your consent I may liaise with them regarding my involvement in your care and your plans for birth where this is appropriate.
13.7 There are circumstances in which I may have a professional or legal obligation to share relevant information without your consent, including safeguarding concerns or where disclosure is otherwise required by law.
14. Changes in your circumstances
14.1 Please tell me promptly about significant changes to your health, pregnancy, medication, address, contact details, planned place of birth or other circumstances relevant to your care.
14.2 Changes in clinical circumstances do not automatically mean that independent care or homebirth support must end.
14.3 Where circumstances change, I will discuss the available options with you, provide information relevant to your individual situation and, where appropriate, recommend consultation or assessment with other healthcare professionals.
14.4 There may occasionally be circumstances in which a change means that I am no longer able to provide a particular element of care safely, lawfully or within the limits of my professional competence. If this occurs, I will discuss this with you and, where appropriate, help facilitate alternative arrangements.
15. Your choices and my professional responsibilities
15.1 You have the right to be involved in decisions about your care and to accept or decline recommendations following an informed discussion.
15.2 If your preferences differ from standard guidance or from a recommendation made by me or another healthcare professional, I will aim to explore your individual circumstances with you and support informed decision-making.
15.3 Your right to make decisions about your own care does not require me to provide treatment or care that I believe I cannot safely, lawfully or professionally provide.
15.4 If we reach a point where I am unable to continue providing a particular aspect of your care within my professional obligations, I will explain this clearly and discuss appropriate alternatives with you.
16. Cancellation or missed appointments
16.1 Please give as much notice as reasonably possible if you need to rearrange an appointment. I understand that pregnancy, family life and unexpected circumstances can make changes unavoidable and will always try to approach these reasonably.
16.2 Repeated missed appointments or cancellations at very short notice may affect my ability to provide the agreed package of care. Where this becomes an issue, I will discuss it with you before deciding whether an appointment is rearranged, treated as part of the package already provided, or whether another arrangement is needed.
16.3 Any charge for an additional or replacement appointment will be made clear to you before it is booked.
16.4 Cancellation of your overall package of care, including any refund due, will be dealt with in accordance with your signed agreement.
17. Fees and payment
17.1 The fees for your individual package and the applicable payment schedule will be set out before you book.
17.2 Where additional services, appointments or expenses may incur an additional charge, I will make this clear before the cost is incurred wherever reasonably possible.
17.3 Failure to make payments in accordance with your signed agreement may result in non-urgent services being suspended or the agreement being terminated in accordance with the terms of that agreement.
18. Records, confidentiality and data protection
18.1 I maintain records in accordance with my professional responsibilities as a Registered Midwife and applicable data protection legislation.
18.2 Your personal and clinical information will be treated confidentially and will only be shared where there is an appropriate clinical, professional or legal basis for doing so.
18.3 Further information about how your personal information is collected, stored, used and shared can be found in my Privacy Notice.
19. Photographs and birth stories
19.1 I will not publish identifiable photographs, videos or details of your birth experience for marketing, educational or social media purposes without appropriate consent.
19.2 Any request for permission to share your story, words or images will be separate from your agreement to receive midwifery care. You are under no obligation to agree.
20. Concerns and complaints
20.1 I want you to feel able to raise concerns about your care directly with me.
20.2 If you are unhappy with any aspect of the service you receive, please contact me as soon as reasonably possible so that I have an opportunity to listen to your concerns and respond.
20.3 My complaints procedure is available on request.
20.4 Nothing within these Terms & Conditions affects your right to seek independent advice, raise a regulatory concern or exercise any other legal right available to you.
21. Circumstances outside my reasonable control
21.1 There may be exceptional circumstances outside my reasonable control that affect my ability to provide a service as originally planned. These might include severe weather, significant transport disruption, serious illness, emergency circumstances or other events that could not reasonably have been anticipated or avoided.
21.2 If this occurs, I will take reasonable steps to minimise disruption, communicate with you and, where appropriate, consider alternative arrangements in accordance with your signed agreement.
22. Changes to these Terms & Conditions
22.1 These Terms & Conditions may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in my services, professional requirements or applicable law.
22.2 The version applicable to your booking will normally be the version provided to you when you enter into your agreement.
22.3 Any significant change that would materially affect an existing client's contractual rights or obligations will not simply be imposed by updating this webpage. Where agreement to a change is required, it will be discussed and agreed separately.
23. Legal rights
23.1 Nothing in these Terms & Conditions excludes or restricts any legal rights or remedies that cannot lawfully be excluded or restricted.
23.2 My services will be provided with reasonable care and skill in accordance with my professional responsibilities.
23.3 These Terms & Conditions are governed by the law of England and Wales.
24. Agreement to these Terms
24.1 You will be given an opportunity to read these Terms & Conditions before entering into your agreement for care.
24.2 Where these Terms form part of your agreement with Reclaimed Birth with Hannah, you will be asked to confirm that you have read and agreed to the version applicable to your booking.
Reclaimed Birth with Hannah
Terms & Conditions version 1.0
Effective from: 21/08/26
