Protecting human rights in childbirth
Registered Charity Number 1151152
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 few weeks ago, we were on the verge of launching a crowd-funding campaign to raise thousands of pounds to take Cwm Taf Health Board to court for keeping partners out of their maternity wards. The Birthrights team were working round the clock to put together our first ever crowdfunding campaign, and cancelling well deserved leave … Read more
Each December, we reflect as a team on our achievements – and this year we had the opportunity to do this in person, which was more magical than we could have imagined two years ago, before COVID-19 became a fixture in our daily lives. 2021 had the hallmarks of 2020 in many ways, starting with … Read more
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has today (4 November) published their final, updated guideline on the induction of labour. The guidelines in its draft form prompted widespread concern from the birth world after it recommended that all women and birthing people should be offered induction at 41 weeks. It also recommended … 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
Visitor restrictions in maternity units have changed significantly over the last few weeks which is fantastic news. However one of the areas where we would like to see more progress is Trusts and Boards inviting second birth partners back into maternity services as a matter of course. This may not come top of the list of priorities … 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