Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust to charge parents for baby scan photos

49 comments
  1. > It will cost £5 for one photo, £7 for two and £10 for three scan photos and you can only pay by card.

    It’s not even a token cost but straight up daylight robbery. How sad.

    Edit: *So apparently my NHS Trust is a rarity out there. It doesnt charge for first scan (though asks for a donation). More proof of NHS lottery that is the U.K. Is £5 a lot? Not to most, to to some yes. And I’d hate to think of anyone missing out on something we’ve had.*

  2. This is the case for the hospital in Plymouth too. There was a small charge but it was waived during covid because they didn’t want to handle coins.

    It was much less than this though; I think it was just a couple of quid.

  3. Many hospitals have been doing this for years… our scans we were allowed to take videos on our phones which was much better than a scan photo.

  4. I think this is a great idea especially if you get the keyring, fridgemagnet and novelty background option.

  5. Our hospital does this, but (they say) the money goes to their charity. It’s hit and miss if they actually charge us too.

  6. I had to pay for mine, I was a bit shocked at first then I remembered the Tory party is defunded the NHS to make it fail.
    happy to pay

  7. In 2007 the scan photos were £5 in a Warwickshire hospital, sometimes they’d just let you have it, not sure why this is even a story

  8. Not to be a party pooper but isn’t this common ? I’m fairly sure I had to pay for this when my daughter was born. I live in the north.

    Of course in the north we get less anyway. In terms of child care etc.

  9. Mine did this, £5 per photo. They know people will be desperate for a picture of their baby so they can pretty much charge whatever they like and people will pay it.

  10. If you’re paying do you get to make requests?

    Genuine question. We didn’t pay and had about 20 minutes to go through the whole FAS. We were unlucky and the pictures require some interpretation! I got a private scan to get some nice ones but that took an hour.

  11. Just had a baby in Lancashire and scan images were £10 each.

    If we are doing this, let’s talk about the tv in the antinatal ward waiting room showing paid adverts for some pretty high end companies for maternity wear and baby gear. Nothing quite like shoving expensive gear in the faces of nervous new mums to tell them they aren’t good enough. Oh and the paid online baby courses staffed by NHS midwife that have replaced the free ones? Or the home visits which have been reduced to three total? Like total. When I was a baby the midwife came every day for two weeks, and then the health visitor every other day for the next two weeks. We’ve had three visits in 10 weeks. And we all know about the tvs have gone right? Like that was a while back but it’s all a mid 2000’s smart tv thing that you have to pay for access to watch even the basic channels.

  12. Why does anyone think this should be free!? The NHS is there to provide medical care, not pander to everybodies whims.

  13. This is common practice in many Trusts already. In all fairness, most of the times I have only been charged for one or two prints instead of the few I have been given.

  14. Charging for a physical copy for this seems like a sensible choice. But they should offer a digital only copy for free.

  15. We had to pay for this in the north east last year. One free one any more were charged. The nurses “accidentally” would not use the tokens correctly and print you more than you paid for. I work in hospitals and worse than this is the photographers that come round the maternity ward to the newborns and try to sell newborn photo shoots to exhausted parents. I’d be in the room checking the baby over and the photographer would literally just knock and walk in without waiting and start their sales pitch. Had to throw a few out in anger at times. Absolutely disgusting practice.

  16. Never had to pay for my kids scan 7 years ago. Also the midwife was really nice and gave me the print out of his heartbeat. That I was gonna get tattooed.

  17. Paid for ours at St Thomas’. I didn’t realise they could be free but tbh, they weren’t the best so we had a private one too – that was much nicer.

  18. £5 for a single photo for my son 10yrs ago at torbay hospital.

    You telling me I’ve been getting robbed this entire time and didn’t realise?

  19. Er, why is this news? It’s quite common for ultrasound scan pictures to be purchased.

    Certainly at the three Trusts I’ve worked at anyway.

  20. Nothing new. I had to pay for my son’s scans 12 and 14 years ago in Birmingham Women’s Hospital (NHS). Similar cost. The midwife led delivery suites were amazing however. I had a private shower with gas and air installed in it and a birthing pool and it looked like a private hotel room. Antenatal ward was like the seventh level of hell though. Swings and roundabouts!

  21. Just went to our 12 week scan on Tuesday. Was meant to pay 18quid for 6 photos. Lucky the machine was broken. Though as a one off deal – what is 5 quid for a photo when the rest of NHS and maternity care is free…

  22. Firstly it should be noted many trusts already do this. Maidstone is certainly not the first.

    Secondly I don’t have a problem with this. We know there’s financial issues everywhere in the country. Personally I see the scan to check the baby is healthy as essential and therefore should be provided by the NHS, the souvenir photo is not.

  23. I thought this was common both hospitals we have used have done this for year? Why is it being highlighted now?

  24. What? I thought this was standard practice everywhere!? Ok I got ripped off without even knowing it.

  25. Yeah I had to pay for them in Nottingham. It was like a tenner for 3 pics. I was absolutely skint at the time and it realy hurt to do it but I couldn’t NOT get photos of my own kid.

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