Protecting human rights in childbirth
Birthrights has today written to NHS England and NHS Improvement calling for national guidance on easing visiting restrictions in maternity services in England, to recognise the unique needs of pregnant women/birthing people and their partners. Some Trusts still have the same visiting restrictions that were put in place at the height of the pandemic. Birthrights … Read more
“It is … critical that the report is made publicly available, so that all organisations working in the sector can learn from it and work to address the underlying causes” Today Birthrights and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) wrote to the Health Minister, Nadine Dorries, asking the Government to publish their inquiry into pain … Read more
Birthrights has signed an open letter to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, calling for the reinstatement of the Maternity Safety Training Fund. The letter was initiated by the charity Baby Lifeline. The last Maternity Safety Training Fund, in 2016, enabled Trusts to access a wide range of training courses to ensure staff were up to … Read more
You may have heard talk of IDECIDE – a new tool to help healthcare professionals to support women to make informed decisions in labour. In this blog we explain what IDECIDE is, where it came from, and when you can expect to see it in action… OK, so what is IDECIDE? IDECIDE is a digital … Read more
We are pleased that the MBRRACE-UK report: Saving Lives, Improving Mothers’ Care has finally been published today. The findings – yet again exposing serious racial inequalities in maternal deaths – are a stark reminder of the urgent need to share the lessons learned from these tragedies, to improve care and save lives. On 26 November, … Read more
Last week, Birthrights challenged NHS England’s decision not to publish the annual maternity care MBRRACE report until after the election. We received a response from NHS England’s lawyers stating they would reply substantively to our concerns within 14 days (by 10 December) and intend to publish the report on 13 December. Our solicitors, Leigh Day, … Read more
Birthrights are challenging NHS England’s decision not to publish a report on maternity care, known as the MBRRACE report, until after the election. Birthrights, a charity that promotes human rights in maternity care, argues that the MBRRACE report ‘Saving Lives, Improving Mothers’ Care’ should be published before the election as it is an impartial and … Read more
Birthrights, the UK’s human rights in childbirth charity, and Irwin Mitchell, one of the largest law firms in the UK, have announced a new partnership over three years. The new agreement includes a package of corporate funding, pro bono advice, practical in-kind help with publications and events, and support for Birthrights’ projects, research and campaigns, … Read more
Birthrights are delighted to be offering a new series of training workshops open to individuals doctors, midwives and others working with pregnant women and their families. We are running workshops in London on the 18th October and in Halifax on the 18th November where we will be exploring questions such as : – Can safe … Read more
Birthrights and Birth Companions have published a joint report – Holding it all together: Understanding how far the human rights of women facing disadvantage are respected during pregnancy, birth and postnatal care. The report marks a key milestone in a two-year joint research project funded by Trust for London, to help establish greater understanding of … Read more