Home births will be included in the payment by results tariff next year to support choice for women the chief executive of NHS has announced.

The information was contained in letter from David Nicholson to strategic health authorities which outlined plans for payment by results in 2008/09.

The price of a home birth will be set at the same level as a hospital-based normal delivery ‘in order to support the provision of choice to women’ as outline in Department of Health guidance Maternity Matters.

The letter also admits that the current price for delivers its too low and proposes wider changers.

For the next financial year there will be a single tariff for all normal deliveries both with and without complications and co-morbidities; a combined tariff for elective and non-elective activity; increase in the tariffs, agreed in consultation with stakeholders, of at least 8 per cent.

The document also said that major changes proposed in the consultation Options for the Future of Payment by Results could not happen until 2009/10 at the earliest - subject to the out come of the consultation which will be published in October.

Dermatology will no longer be included in the tariff to reflect the shift of primary to secondary care.

Changes will also effect joint replacements, modular prosthetics and soft tissue sarcoma.

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