Otley woman fined after miscarriage calls new baby loss certificates 'pointless'

Two women from West Yorkshire say the new baby loss certificates introduced last week do not go far enough.

Sadie Hawkes, 34, miscarried before she received a maternity exemption certificate, which entitles women to free medication. She had claimed a free course of antibiotics before she lost her baby.

The NHS then sent her a letter saying she owed them a £46.75 fine, as well as the £9.35 prescription charge, because she hadn't shown the certificate.

Ms Hawkes told ITV News previously: "I rang them up straight away - explained I've lost my baby and assumed they'll say 'that's fine, don't worry'.

"But I was told to get a doctor's note - which was traumatic."

Now, the NHS Business Service Authority has told ITV News Calendar that the new baby loss certificates are not legal documents, so they cannot be used to prove pregnancy and therefore waive a fine.

The new certificates, introduced by the Department of Health to recognise the grief of mothers who lose babies before 24 weeks of pregnancy, can be claimed by anyone and are not signed by a health professional.

Ms Hakwes, from Otley, said: "What is the point? They've taken time to make these certificates - why not make them into legal documents so they can be used where you haven't been able to get an exemption certificate?

"This has really spurred me on, because the fines happen to so many women - and they should just not be going through this."

She's now setting up a petition calling for the NHS to make the certificates legally binding.

Ms Hawkes added: "You can't claim the exemption certificates once you've had a miscarriage and so many people lose their baby before they get them at their midwife appointment."

Research has shown as many as one in three pregnant women never receive an exemption certificate.

An ITV News Calendar investigation showed that in 2022, more than 24,000 women were sent letters demanding payment for prescriptions because they had failed to provide evidence of a pregnancy.

Another woman who did not get her certificate was Nicola Good from Leeds. She is still fighting a fine more than a year after miscarrying.

She said: "I think they must get the idea that I am not going to be paying it. I was pregnant, I provided evidence and I feel like I've been discriminated against for miscarrying.

"The certificates are good to help with processing grief, but if it's not going to put an end to the crazy fine system then that feels stupid."

Nicola's MP Kim Leadbeater, who has previously campaigned for maternity exemption certificates to be claimed retrospectively, said: "I welcome the introduction of the certificate - it's an important acknowledgement that people lost a baby, and what they go through.

"But what these certificates don't do is acknowledge the problem around paying for prescriptions. So it's actually made people like Nicola understandably more angry and upset."

In a statement, the NHS Business Service Authority said: "Baby loss certificates were introduced by the Department of Health and Social Care to recognise parents' grief and loss.

"Certificates are official but not legal documents, and whilst they provide recognition of loss, because the certificates are a voluntary self-declaration they can’t be used as evidence to remove a penalty charge.

"To be entitled to free NHS prescriptions while pregnant, patients need a valid maternity exemption certificate. The certificate is applied for, or counter signed by a healthcare professional."

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