HOW TO HIRE · CHILDCARE & FAMILY · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to hire a postnatal doula in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.
Postnatal doulas are not registered by any UK regulator. Here are the checks and what to ask.
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THE 60-SECOND VERSION
Hiring a postnatal doula in five steps
- Meet before the birthCheck fit, training and references.
- Ask about vettingDBS, PVG or AccessNI.
- Agree visits and rateMinimum visit, hourly rate, travel.
- Keep medical contacts to handMidwife and health visitor.
- Be flexible on datesBabies arrive early and late.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Check before you book
No register applies
No licence or statutory register applies to postnatal doulas in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Training is voluntary.
Ask the postnatal doula about training, phone two references and see photo ID that matches the booking.
Not a midwife or nurse
Nurses and midwives must be on the NMC register to practise. A postnatal doula gives no clinical care; if they say they are a nurse or midwife, ask for their PIN.
Search the NMC register with any PIN. 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 postnatal doula. 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 postnatal doula's certificate — or proof of PVG membership in Scotland — and read the issue date; a DBS certificate has no official expiry. gov.uk →
Trader status and cancellation
A postnatal doula in business is a trader under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. A service agreed online, by phone or in your home can usually be cancelled within 14 days under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013; if you asked for it to start sooner, you pay for what was done.
Keep the booking confirmation and the written terms.
VAT
Postnatal doula support carries VAT at the standard 20% when the doula is VAT-registered; it is neither childcare from a regulated provider nor treatment by a registered health professional, so no exemption applies. A postnatal doula with takings under £90,000 is not VAT-registered and charges no VAT.
Ask the postnatal doula whether VAT is added to the hourly rate; one below the threshold adds none. gov.uk →
A good answer: A named course and families supported.
A good answer: DBS, PVG or AccessNI, dated.
A good answer: Cooking, laundry, holding the baby while you rest, feeding encouragement.
A good answer: Encouragement and positioning; medical feeding problems go to your midwife or health visitor.
A good answer: Hours and rate.
A good answer: A plan.
A good answer: Insurer named.
Booking by the hour
- The rate per hour, and any higher rate for evenings or weekends
- The minimum visit length and whether a short visit is still paid in full
- Travel costs, and the price of a package of visits if one is offered
- The tasks agreed before the first hour: feeding support, rest for you, meals, laundry, older children
- ID checked, the rating, and the cancellation terms
Walk away if
- Gives medical advice
- No vetting check
- Discourages contact with your midwife or health visitor
- No written terms
- Pressure to book many weeks
- No references
What a postnatal doula costs: £20–£35 per hour
Postnatal doulas charge by the hour, with a minimum visit, over the first weeks after birth. Postnatal Doula 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
Postnatal doulas 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, or book by the hour.
- MeetingBefore the birth.
- PlanVisits, tasks, rate.
- First visitSettling in at home.
- Regular visitsPractical help and rest for parents.
- Winding downAs confidence grows.
- Postnatal
- The weeks after birth.
- Health visitor
- The NHS professional who supports families after birth.
- Minimum visit
- The fewest hours charged.
- NMC PIN
- A nurse's or midwife's number.
- Enhanced DBS
- A criminal record check for work with children.
- Doula
- A non-clinical supporter.
AFTER
When the job is done
Hiring a postnatal doula: questions people ask
No. No licence or register applies in any UK nation.
Ask for an enhanced DBS check in England and Wales, PVG in Scotland or enhanced AccessNI in Northern Ireland.
No — and if they claim to be, check their NMC PIN.
£20 to £35 an hour, typically around £25. Travel and longer visits add to the cost. Open the postnatal doula price guide for the detail, then search your town above and agree the rate per hour, the minimum visit and the tasks before the first visit.
Agreed online or by phone, usually within 14 days, paying for any visits already made.
Raise it in writing; a doula in business owes reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
MORE GUIDES
More hiring guides in childcare & family
Postnatal doulas near you
Sources — checked October 2026
- NMC — search the register
- gov.uk — DBS checks: levels and who can request one
- mygov.scot — the PVG scheme
- nidirect — AccessNI checks for the self-employed and personal employees
- Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 30 — cancellation period
- Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36 — services started in the cancellation period
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 54 — consumer's rights for services
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
- Health professionals and pharmaceutical products (VAT Notice 701/57) — 2.5 Services that are not exempt from VAT (taxable at the standard rate)
- GOV.UK — VAT rates
- GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register