NHS cash-for-access: allowing Bounty salespeople onto maternity wards could breach UK laws Rosie Carter, managing director of the charity, said under UK law any mother could make a serious legal claim against her NHS trust for not protecting her or her baby from exploitation. "I am seriously concerned that the NHS seems to be oblivious to these definitions and that patients may not be in a position to make informed decisions about giving out their personal details, or other permissions to sales reps who are on the wards," she wrote in a letter to health minister Dan Poulter and GP Margaret McCartney. The letter was also sent to Mumsnet, who have called for Bounty representatives to be banned from wards. A petition has already received more than 15,000 signatures following a Mumsnet campaign about the issue. The charity, which specialises in personnel checks, also queries whether Bounty salespeople would be able to get CRB checks - now known as DBS checks - as it would not be possible under the Safeguarding of Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. "Under the current Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 such staff still do not fit the eligibility criteria for DBS checking as they do not provide health services," she said. Ms Carter also called for HMRC, who have a paid-for agreement with Bounty worth £90,000 to distribute child benefit forms, to end the practice and instead provide an email service. I also note HMRC are involved with this to save money when sending out benefit forms and would consider HMRC also has a duty of care towards the welfare of mothers when sending out benefit forms via Bounty. It defeats me why HMRC do not simply email the forms to hospitals for new mothers which would be even cheaper. Justine Roberts, CEO and Co-Founder of Mumsnet, said they had also been looking into the legality of allowing Bounty salespeople onto maternity wards. "We had already been exploring the possibility that Bounty's practices (and those of other sales representatives on in-patient wards) might be breaking trading standards guidelines on aggressive commercial practices; we're alarmed to hear that the practices may also be in breach of safeguarding law," she told The Telegraph. We will be bringing it to the notice of David Nicholson and to the Chief Executives of the relevant hospital trusts. We very much look forward to the minister's response. A Bounty spokesperson said: "Bounty is a service which is has been welcomed for over fifty years; by 99% of maternity units and by 96% of mums who sign up to our service. Our Bounty ladies follow a strict code of conduct which, as you would expect, also follows UK law. All staff are checked via the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), previously CRB checks. We check in respect of Protection of Vulnerable Adults and Children; we choose to renew these every five years which is not a requirement but a commitment to high standards.