HOW TO HIRE · CHILDCARE & FAMILY

How to hire a maternity nurse in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No register applies to maternity nurses in any UK nation, and many are not NMC nurses. Here are the checks and what to ask.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a maternity nurse in five steps

  1. Ask if they are a registered nurse or midwifeIf yes, check the NMC PIN.
  2. Check vetting and referencesDBS, PVG or AccessNI; families with newborns.
  3. Agree the datesAnd what happens if the baby is early or late.
  4. Agree employment statusSelf-employed or on your payroll.
  5. Prepare a roomNear the nursery.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No compulsory register applies to maternity nurses in any UK nation. Many maternity nurses are not registered nurses or midwives; if one says they are, their NMC PIN proves it. In England a nanny-type carer in your home may join Ofsted's voluntary Childcare Register.

Rely on references you phone yourself, photo ID that matches, and the criminal record check the maternity nurse holds.

NMC register, if they claim to be a nurse or midwife

Nurses and midwives must be on the NMC register to practise, and a registrant should give you their PIN if asked.

Ask for the NMC PIN and search the NMC register. nmc.org.uk →

Criminal record check — DBS, PVG or AccessNI

England and Wales: childcare can get the enhanced DBS check with barred lists, and Ofsted requires it of a registered maternity nurse. Scotland: PVG scheme membership. Northern Ireland: an enhanced AccessNI check with the children's barred list, through an Umbrella Body for the self-employed. A parent cannot apply on a carer's behalf.

Ask to see the maternity nurse's certificate — or proof of PVG membership in Scotland — and read the issue date; a DBS certificate has no official expiry. gov.uk →

You as the employer

gov.uk says you are usually the employer of a maternity nurse who works in your home when you take them on yourself, rather than through an agency or as a self-employed worker. That means a contract, payslips, at least the National Minimum Wage, employers' liability insurance, registering as an employer and running payroll — and you cannot ask them to become self-employed.

Agree the employment status in writing before the start date, and set up payroll or pay someone to run it. gov.uk →

VAT

Care of a newborn is exempt from VAT only when it comes from a state-regulated childcare provider — registered with Ofsted, CIW, the Care Inspectorate or the Northern Ireland Trust — a charity or a public body; otherwise it is standard-rated. A self-employed maternity nurse who is not state-regulated is outside the exemption; one with earnings under £90,000 does not charge VAT and has no VAT number to give.

Agree the maternity nurse's employment status in writing before the booking, and ask a self-employed one whether VAT is added to the daily rate. gov.uk →

“Are you a registered nurse or midwife, or a maternity nurse by experience?”

A good answer: An honest answer — and an NMC PIN if they say registered.

“How many newborns have you cared for as a maternity nurse?”

A good answer: Several, with references you can phone.

“Which criminal record check do you hold?”

A good answer: Shown with its date.

“How do you support breastfeeding or bottle feeding?”

A good answer: Following your choice, and your midwife's advice.

“What if the baby arrives early or late?”

A good answer: A written rule, and any retainer.

“Are you self-employed?”

A good answer: A clear answer and who handles tax.

“What time off do you need?”

A good answer: Hours off each day, agreed.

Booking by the hour

  • The daily rate for round-the-clock or night-only cover, and the hourly rate for extra hours
  • The minimum booking in weeks, the deposit or retainer, and what is refunded if the baby comes early or the booking ends sooner
  • Employment status agreed — employer's National Insurance and payroll if you employ them
  • What you provide — a room, meals, baby equipment — and what the maternity nurse brings
  • The duties agreed before the first night: feeds, sterilising, a sleep routine, the baby's laundry
  • Travel and agency fees, ID checked and the rating

Walk away if

  • Claims to be a nurse but no NMC PIN
  • No vetting check
  • No newborn references
  • Unsafe sleep practices
  • Large non-refundable retainer
  • Undermines your midwife's advice
LOW
£250
TYPICAL
£300
HIGH
£450

What a maternity nurse costs: £250–£450 per day

Maternity nurses charge by the day, usually living in for several weeks; agency fees and travel are extra. Maternity Nurse price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Maternity nurses near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. BookingDates, retainer, room.
  2. ArrivalSettling in, house routine.
  3. Newborn careDay and night.
  4. Routine buildingFeeding and sleep patterns.
  5. HandoverShowing parents before leaving.

Maternity nurse
A newborn care specialist — not necessarily a registered nurse.
NMC PIN
A registered nurse's or midwife's number.
Retainer
A fee to hold dates.
Safe sleep
Baby on their back in a clear cot.
Health visitor
The NHS professional who supports families after birth.
Employment status
Employee or self-employed.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the routine notesFeeding and sleep.
Keep payment recordsAnd the contract.
Keep your midwife and health visitor involvedMedical questions go to them.
Leave the reviewOnly a booked maternity nurse can be reviewed on Locufy, so your words carry weight. If the maternity nurse got something wrong, use the make-it-right step first.

STEP 1Raise it with the maternity nurse as their employerTalk first, then write down what needs to change and by when. gov.uk expects an employer to discuss a conduct or performance problem informally before anything formal, and to have written disciplinary rules that follow the Acas Code of Practice (the Labour Relations Agency code in Northern Ireland); a maternity nurse can raise a grievance with you, and may bring a companion to a formal meeting.
STEP 2Use Locufy's make-it-right stepIf you booked the maternity nurse through Locufy and rate them under four stars, you are asked whether to send it to them first; we follow it through. Then you review.
STEP 3If the maternity nurse's job endsFollow the notice in the contract: after a month in the job an employee must give at least a week's notice, and dismissing without proper notice is wrongful dismissal, so act fairly and keep records. Final pay includes wages owed and any untaken statutory holiday, even after gross misconduct; give the maternity nurse a P45 and report the leaving date to HMRC through payroll. The Acas helpline (0300 123 1100) advises employers in England, Scotland and Wales.
STEP 4Booked through an agency, or self-employed?Then you are a customer, not an employer: the agency or the self-employed maternity nurse is a trader who must use reasonable care and skill under section 49 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015. A money claim against them can go to small claims — up to £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 under simple procedure in Scotland, £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a maternity nurse: questions people ask

Not necessarily. Ask, and if they say yes, check their NMC PIN on the NMC register.

Ask for enhanced DBS in England and Wales, PVG in Scotland or AccessNI in Northern Ireland.

Usually, when you engage them directly and they are neither agency staff nor genuinely self-employed.

£250 to £450 a day, typically around £300. Twins, agency fees and travel add to the daily rate. Open the maternity nurse price guide for the detail; search your town above and agree the daily rate, the minimum booking in weeks and the duties before the first night.

Only for approved childcare; most maternity nurses are not registered, so ask.

Raise it in writing; a self-employed maternity nurse owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in childcare & family

How to hire: Night NannyHow to hire: Postnatal DoulaHow to hire: DoulaHow to hire: NannyHow to hire: Live-In NannyHow to hire: Baby Sleep ConsultantHow to hire: Mother's HelpHow to hire: Au PairAll 701 hiring guides →

Maternity nurses near you

Maternity nurses in LondonMaternity nurses in ManchesterMaternity nurses in BirminghamMaternity nurses in GlasgowMaternity nurses in BelfastAll maternity nurses on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — become a childminder or nanny (England)
  2. gov.uk — register as a nanny with Ofsted
  3. gov.uk — choose which Ofsted register to join
  4. Ofsted — registration exemptions (England)
  5. Ofsted — check if childcare is registered
  6. gov.wales — get up to 30 hours of childcare for 3 and 4 year olds
  7. gov.uk — registering as a childminder (Scotland)
  8. mygov.scot — the PVG scheme
  9. nidirect — home childcarers
  10. nidirect — AccessNI checks for the self-employed and personal employees
  11. gov.uk — DBS checks: levels and who can request one
  12. gov.uk — employing someone to work in your home
  13. gov.uk — National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates
  14. gov.uk — Tax-Free Childcare
  15. nidirect — help paying for approved childcare
  16. NMC — search the register
  17. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
  18. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  19. gov.uk — solve a workplace dispute
  20. gov.uk — taking disciplinary action against an employee
  21. gov.uk — dismissing staff (fair, unfair and wrongful dismissal)
  22. gov.uk — dismissing staff: how to dismiss someone
  23. gov.uk — handing in your notice: giving notice
  24. gov.uk — holiday entitlement: taking holiday before leaving a job
  25. gov.uk — what to do when an employee leaves
  26. Welfare services and goods (VAT Notice 701/2) — 2.2.1 Care and protection of children that are exempt; 3.3 State regulated providers
  27. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  28. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register