to agree with Alice Roberts on Bounty?

[WidowWadman]

are some advantages to being an anatomist. When the Bounty lady approaches me on the maternity ward, I shall tell her, very accurately, exactly where she can stick her free samples." www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/apr/28/alice-roberts-pregnancy-bounty-nhs

I think Fliss point is highly relevant. The Stena stairlift rep isn't allowed into the geriatric ward, nor is the Betterware rep with the catalogue of kitchen aides. And these things are actually useful!

There's just no place for ANY sales reps on a ward.

For the people who do want photos done, you know you can hire a photographer to come on the ward. Book around visiting time and there should be no problem.

I just cannot imagine a ward of, eg, recovering from surgery having to deal with a salesman on the ward immediately afterwards.

In the hospital I had my children in, the Bounty salespeople wore pale coloured tunic and navy trousers so that they looked like fucking nursing staff and don't identify themselves as being there to sell anything. What the fuck? Why is this acceptable?

That should be 'men recovering from surgery'

I agree with everyone who says the mini Sudocrem is the best bit in those Bounty packs.. the rest is just a pile of crappy vouchers and leaflets!

When I gave birth, the Bounty lady/photographer came around just as I was having a breastfeeding crisis and my OH told her we were not interested... She said "I'll come back later then!", we told her no thanks. In a ward of 4 beds, we were the only ones who declined having our pic taken...

My first child was 5 weeks early and very small because I had IUGR. He was in SCBU. Bounty lady came to my single room every day (burst in on me without knocking every time, once whilst I was expressing) and expressed disappointment "why are you still here?" kind of comments. I had to stay in for a fortnight because I had deranged liver function. I was shell shocked and distraught and only managed a weak "well I am still ill".

With my daughter who thankfully was an uncomplicated birth I told the bounty lady I wasn't interested (a different one in a different hospital). Was on a normal postnatal ward this time but she also showed no respect for my privacy, pulling aside the curtains without asking. I had to really stand up to her to make her go away. Then a bit later she came back and demanded to know whether the baby was my first. I was so shocked I told her and was really pissed off with myself for telling her anything.

I don't like them and the stories about bereaved parents getting reminders are so sad.

I did buy them, they were nice photos and we are all terrible photographers. But as another one with the baby in NICU but me on the normal post-natal ward, being pestered constantly when your baby isn't with you is horrible. If the NHS are going to let them on to the ward they should at least mention that the mums in certain beds have ill babies. Or the Bounty person could use some common sense when there is no baby with them!