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Latest News
Partners & scans
We have had hundreds of enquiries via our advice line about whether partners should be able to attend scans in person, and if not, whether a partner should be able to take part in a scan appointment remotely. This blog post explores the issues. Should partners be allowed to attend scans in person? Yes if … Read more
12 highlights of 2020
Reflections from our Chief Executive, Amy Gibbs. Each December, we reflect as a team on our achievements. 2020 has posed more challenges than any of us could have imagined – personally, professionally and for human rights in childbirth. Having only come back from maternity leave in October, I’m in total awe of the team for … Read more
Birthrights response to the Ockenden report
Much proverbial ink has been spent this week responding to the first report from the Ockenden review into maternity services at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust. Finding something new to say to another heartbreaking report into maternity services is challenging and yet the depth and scale of the harm done to families demands a response. … Read more
Update on maternal request caesarean at Oxford University Hospitals…
Elizabeth Prochaska and Maria Booker from Birthrights, met with Sir Jonathan Montgomery (Chair of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH)) and Professor Meghana Pandit (Chief Medical Officer, OUH) on the 15th October 2020. This followed a meeting earlier this year on the 18th May to discuss OUH’s policy on maternal request caesarean (MRCS). At … Read more
Long term impact of visiting restrictions “could be catastrophic” MPs, academics and campaigners warn NHS England CEO…
This weekend, the letter below, drafted by Birthrights and Pregnant then Screwed and signed by over 100 MPs, academics, charities and campaigners, was sent to Simon Stevens (Chief Executive of NHS England and Improvement). The letter and the survey it refers to were covered in the Mail on Sunday. Dear Simon Stevens (the Chief Executive … Read more
Birthrights to appoint four new Trustees
After an external recruitment process, Birthrights is delighted to announce the appointment of four new Trustees, who will formally join the Board in January 2021. Almost 70 people with a wide range of personal and professional experiences applied for the roles, which were advertised following a Board diversity and skills audit earlier in 2020. The … Read more
“Partners are not visitors to maternity services” says Birthrights and partner organisations
Birthrights alongside Pregnant then Screwed, Make Birth Better, Birth Bliss Academy, the Fatherhood Institute and AIMS have today urged NHSE to issue clearer guidance to Trusts about the need to remove visiting restrictions for companions of choice in maternity services. The letter follows news at the weekend that Liverpool Womens NHS Foundation Trust was reinstating … Read more
Legal challenge to visitor restrictions
Birthrights is keen to hear from individuals who would be interested in legally challenging visitor restrictions in maternity services at their local Trust. You could be in the early stages of pregnancy and concerned about the fact that your partner will not be with you during scans or at other crucial points during your maternity … Read more
Birthrights is recruiting a Participation Officer – part time/flexible
Applications for this post have now closed. Salary – £30,000 per annum pro rata (£15,000 actual) Hours – 18.75 hours per week based on a 37.5 hour working week. Deadline – 9am, Monday 26 October 2020 Location – Home-based (UK within reasonable commuting distance of London and able to travel to regular team meetings and … Read more
Ongoing visitor restrictions in maternity services
This weekend Alicia Kearns MP and over 60 Conservative MPs wrote to NHS Trusts demanding the removal of visiting restrictions in maternity. Day after day, for many months now, Birthrights has been hearing directly from women and their families about the trauma ongoing restrictions are causing. The hashtag #butnotmaternity created by our friends at Birthbliss … Read more