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Latest News
Recruiting for Legal Officer – part-time / flexible (2.5 days per week)
£30,000 pro rata – £15,000 actual per annum Deadline: 5pm on Monday 29 April Birthrights is looking for a new Legal Officer to help us achieve our mission. If you are a legal expert with strong knowledge of human rights law and maternity care in the UK, practical experience of litigation and a passion for … Read more
Autism Awareness Day: guest blog by Hayley
Birthrights research in 2013 and 2018 found disabled women reported poorer experiences of childbirth than other respondents. They told us they: received inadequate information about their choices more often than other women; were unhappier with the availability of pain relief; felt they had less choice and control over their birth experiences; felt that their rights were poorly … Read more
Autism Awareness Day: guest blog by Emma
Birthrights research in 2013 and 2018 found disabled women reported poorer experiences of childbirth than other respondents. They told us they: received inadequate information about their choices more often than other women; were unhappier with the availability of pain relief; felt they had less choice and control over their birth experiences; felt that their rights were poorly … Read more
Birthrights cautiously welcomes first signs of change to OUH maternal request caesarean policy
Birthrights has written once again to Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) cautiously welcoming moves to review its policy of sending women who ask for a maternal request caesarean to other Trusts. Lawyers acting for Birthrights wrote to the Trust in July last year, asking detailed questions about how OUH responded to requests from … Read more
Neighbourhood Midwives
We were very saddened to hear last week about the imminent closure of Neighbourhood Midwives. Neighbourhood Midwives started out as a private, independent midwifery company, but were commissioned by Waltham Forest CCG to offer continuity of care, free of charge, to women as part of a two year pilot following “Better Births”. Neighbourhood Midwives have … Read more
Birthrights responds to the CQC's national maternity survey
Commenting on the findings of the CQC’s national maternity survey, Amy Gibbs, Chief Executive of Birthrights, said: “It’s positive that overall 88% of women surveyed felt they were ‘always’ treated with respect and dignity during labour and birth, but other findings highlight areas where maternity care is failing to respect women’s basic rights. “Every woman … Read more
Birthrights responds to the NHS Long Term Plan
Responding to the publication of the NHS Long Term Plan today, Amy Gibbs, Chief Executive of Birthrights, said: “We are really pleased to see improving maternity care at the heart of the NHS Long Term Plan, particularly the commitment that most women will receive continuity of carer by March 2021. We know that seeing the … Read more
Reflections on 2018
Four weeks into being Birthrights’ new Chief Executive, I’m feeling very lucky to lead such a brilliant organisation and brimming with positivity and ideas for 2019. I’m blessed with a very talented team, engaged and expert Trustees, supportive funders, invaluable partners and a wider enthusiastic pool of people who share our mission to improve women’s … Read more
Six months on and still no response from OUH on maternal request caesarean policy…
Our Chair, Elizabeth Prochaska, has today written to Dame Fiona Caldicott, Chair of Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to urge her to hold her board to account over the lack of response to a letter sent in July, asking OUH to clarify important details surrounding its maternal request caesarean policy. It is somewhat surprising … Read more
Happy Human Rights Day 2018
As the UK’s only organisation protecting human rights in pregnancy & childbirth, Birthrights are very proud to be supporting #HumanRightsDay2018 & to join forces with 155 organisations asking the PM to safeguard our freedoms here in the UK #weareallhuman #humanrightsday2018 #humanrights Full text of the letter, co-ordinated by the British Institute of Human Rights (BIHR): Dear Prime Minister Today, on … Read more