How to opt out of Bounty on the maternity ward UK

Is Bounty part of every NHS maternity ward?

No. In February 2020 the BBC reported that NHS England said it had no national agreement “of any kind” with Bounty, and that any deal to allow the firm onto postnatal wards was made with individual trusts. That is still the right starting point: ask *your* hospital, not a national helpline.

Bounty’s published pack FAQ has also moved on from the old ward goody-bag picture. It says it no longer produces the Mum-to-Be or Newborn pack, supplies hospitals with Child Benefit literature instead, and still produces a prenatal folder for antenatal clinics, GP surgeries and private scan clinics. Postnatal wards, on that page, are described as receiving HMRC Child Benefit forms or literature — not a Newborn pack.

Practice varies by trust and can change. A 2018 Essex card scheme, or a 2020 photography visit at another hospital, is not a 2026 national rule. Confirm with the midwife or PALS for the unit you are booked into.

What can I do before I go into hospital?

1. 1
   Ask the midwife at antenatal clinic Ask whether this trust still lets Bounty or any other commercial photographer onto the postnatal ward, whether opt-out cards exist, and who hands out the prenatal folder or the HMRC envelope. Put the answer in your notes or birth preferences so the postnatal team can see it.
2. 2
   Ask PALS if you want it in writing Patient Advice and Liaison Service can tell you the current local policy and how to record a refusal. They are the route when the ward answer is vague. This is an access and privacy question, not a clinical-safety one.
3. 3
   Write to Bounty as well The 2018 BBC Essex story describes a father who wrote to Bounty before a second birth, citing data-protection rules, and then agreed a bedside card system with the maternity team. Use [email protected] and [email protected], give the due date and the hospital name, and say you do not want a bedside approach or portraits.
4. 4
   Decide about the prenatal folder separately Bounty says the pregnancy information folder is given by a healthcare professional at around 12 weeks, not posted to you. Taking or refusing a clinic folder is a different choice from a postnatal photographer.

What did opt-out cards look like, and do they still exist?

On the ward, a closed curtain and a clear “no” are still available even where no card exists. If someone has already taken details or portraits you did not want, use Bounty’s deletion route and ask the midwife to note it. Historic bedside fields are covered on what a hospital rep used to ask.

What if they already have my details from the hospital?

Bounty’s privacy policy (20 May 2025) names [email protected] for access, correction or deletion, and the personal-information page names [email protected] for removal of the file (name, address, postcode; portraits only if you say so). An ICO marketing objection stops further offers even if a pack or photo visit already happened.

An HMRC Child Benefit envelope on the locker is not a Bounty signup. Bounty says it supplies that literature on some postnatal wards; the claim itself is on GOV.UK or in the HMRC app.

In shortAsk the midwife and PALS for this trust’s 2026 rule. Write to Bounty before the birth. Do not rely on a national opt-out — NHS England has said there isn’t one. Cards existed in some units; they were never everywhere.