Watchdog to act over firms who bombard new mothers with marketing material on NHS maternity wards Health watchdogs will be given powers to take action against hospitals that allow private companies to roam NHS maternity wards bombarding mothers with marketing material, The Independent on Sunday can reveal. The health minister Dan Poulter, who is also a hospital doctor, promised to take action against the tactics of representatives from firms such as Bounty after a campaign by Mumsnet and a petition signed by nearly 25,000 people. Bounty and other commercial firms pay the NHS to have access to hospitals within hours of mothers giving birth, even if they have been through emergency caesareans or other traumatic procedures. Dr Poulter told The IoS that hospitals must "get a grip" in keeping reps away from mothers who have just given birth. He said that the Care Quality Commission would be able to take action against maternity wards and birthing units that did not "ensure the protection of women's privacy and dignity," including stopping private firms from approaching new mothers to ask them to sign up for a parenting club, buy professional photographs with their baby or hand over personal data which is then sold on to third-party companies. The CQC could issue warning notices to hospitals, issue fines or, in more severe cases, fail to register the service. Bounty representatives have told women that signing up to the parenting club is the only way to get child benefit - which is inaccurate. Campaigners are concerned that HMRC pays Bounty under contract to distribute child benefit forms. Although the contract is for a relatively small amount, about £90,000 a year, it is a questionable use of taxpayers' money when the forms are readily available from post offices and can be ordered, free of charge, online. But HMRC admitted yesterday that it was cheaper to pay Bounty to distribute the forms than to send each one out individually to new parents, and declined to say whether it would renew its contract with the firm. Despite a code of conduct drawn up by Bounty in 2012 which advised its reps not to invade the privacy of families or interrupt mothers breastfeeding and to observe the law on data protection, the Mumsnet campaign has uncovered alarming evidence of staff breaching all of these guidelines. The code of conduct says reps must not claim that signing up to the pack is a condition for receiving child benefit, yet a survey by Mumsnet, taken after the code of conduct was introduced, found that 17 per cent of mothers had been told this. A petition signed by more than 21,000 people on change.org calls on Dr Poulter to ban commercial parenting clubs in NHS wards. More than 66 MPs from all parties have signed a Commons motion about the campaign, and Dr Poulter wrote to all hospitals last month asking them to review their practices. Dr Poulter said: "Many Bounty representatives engage with women appropriately during pregnancy and before birth. However, I wrote to hospitals about a month ago to highlight the outrageous behaviour of some Bounty reps in showing an unacceptable disregard for the privacy and dignity of women and families at what can be a very vulnerable time. We have recently been strengthening the role and powers of the Care Quality Commission to intervene where there is poor care or where patients' dignity is compromised during their care. So if hospitals do not take action to get a grip on the situation, then the CQC will be able to take action against the birthing unit. The money that Bounty gives to the NHS - about £60m a year - is used by maternity units for essential equipment. But campaigners said the money could still be donated if there were more restraint shown by representatives. Justine Roberts, Mumsnet's chief executive, said: "You could, for instance, introduce something when you get into the ward, to say whether you are happy for a Bounty person to come and see you, or have a desk in a room with a representative there. But women are having to confront them and tell them to go away. A survey by Mumsnet found that 82 per cent of mothers said it was unacceptable for NHS hospitals to allow commercial companies direct access to patients on wards, while 56 per cent felt the Bounty rep had invaded their privacy. Some 60 per cent were not told that their personal details would be passed on to other companies - which is in breach of the Data Protection Act. Nearly one-third of new mothers said they had felt pressured by Bounty photographers to have a picture of their baby taken, while 48 per cent were not informed that giving their details was voluntary. One mother who was receiving chemotherapy treatment was visited by a Bounty rep when her own father was prevented from seeing her because of the risk of infection. An HMRC spokesman said: "HMRC wants to ensure new mothers have the information they need to register for child benefit. Bounty has a presence in most maternity wards, so it is convenient for new parents - and cheaper for HMRC - to make child benefit information available through Bounty rather than send out forms directly by post.