Money from the scheme goes back into the NHS

The NHS-run maternity service is being offered at Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital in London.

Jentle Midwifery guarantees women 24-hour access to the same midwife throughout their pregnancy and labour.

But the RCM said it compromised the belief that everyone is entitled to "high quality, one-to-one care".

'More flexibility'

Dame Karlene Davis, General Secretary of the RCM, said research showed that one-to-one care delivers the best outcomes for women, babies and midwives.

But a shortage of midwives in the UK has compromised the ability to deliver this, she said.

She called for "more working midwives, not extra charges for mothers".

Profits from the service, introduced in November 2004, are put back into the NHS and so, the trust said, it does not interfere with midwives' NHS work.

A spokesman for the Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust said the scheme offered more flexibility over where and when ante-natal support can be given.

He said that mothers not on the scheme have access to the same advice and facilities, but not with the same midwife.