Protecting human rights in childbirth
Registered Charity Number 1151152
Birthrights releases report of findings from year-long inquiry into racial injustice in maternity care The safety of hundreds of women and birthing people from Black and Brown and mixed ethnicity backgrounds is being put at risk due to systemic racism within UK maternity care, a year-long inquiry by Birthrights has found. The report, titled Systemic … Read more
Consultant midwife and Birthrights Associate Trainer Alice’s story I am honoured to have been asked to write this blog for Birthrights, and to be a Birthrights Associate Trainer. I have long admired their work, and share their inclusive values and approach, promoting rights for everyone who is pregnant including women, trans men, non-binary and other … Read more
Student midwife Emily’s story My name is Emily. I’m a second-year student midwife, and I absolutely LOVE it. Before starting this amazing journey in midwifery, I was a Musician in The British Army for nearly nine years. I was a member of The Band and Bugles of the Rifles and then The Band of The … Read more
Nobody expected the Ockenden report published last week to be an easy read. However the breadth and pervasiveness of the issues at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust over such a prolonged period of time is staggering to comprehend. That this led to the avoidable deaths of women and hundreds of babies is absolutely heart-breaking … Read more
Today (Wednesday 30 March) the long-awaited final report of Donna Ockenden’s review into maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust will be published. Amy Gibbs, Birthrights’ Chief Executive, said ‘It is devastating to hear the scale of deaths, injuries and trauma that might have been prevented at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust. Our thoughts … Read more
A survey of more than 2,000 women in the UK has found many lacked enough information to make an informed decision about induction of labour. In August 2021, the Patient Information Forum conducted an online survey into women’s experiences of being induced in collaboration with maternity charities including Birthrights. In less than a fortnight, 2,325 … Read more
Informed Consent Human rights law requires every individual to be treated with dignity and respect and for their autonomy to be upheld. These principles are at the heart of guidance given to doctors by their regulator the General Medical Council (‘GMC’). We’ve worked with the GMC to explore what women and birthing people can expect … Read more
NHS England’s Personalised Care Institute (PCI) has launched a brand-new e-learning module on personalised care in maternity services. The module, which is free to access and takes around 30 minutes, aims to give all those working in maternity care the knowledge and skills they need to have meaningful choice conversations with women and birthing people, … Read more
Leigh Day have sent a letter before action to Betsi Cadwaladr, on behalf of Birthrights and a local couple expecting a baby. The letter asks the Health Board to explain why there have been no substantial changes to visiting arrangements in maternity services since November. Partners are not able to visit their other halves or … Read more
Many people have an image of doulas working with middle-class women who can afford additional support. However doulas also work with women facing difficult and complex circumstances. In the third blog post in our series on second birth partners, we hear from Jo Doherty, Group Leader for the Happy Baby Community (HBC) a pan-London community … Read more