Campaign to end Bounty sales reps' access to maternity wards - please read and share

[JustineMumsnet]

Evening all,

Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to fill in our survey on Bounty and share your stories - from the initial idea onwards, this really is a campaign that has been prompted by your concerns, as posted on Mumsnet.

The survey showed that a very large majority (82%) felt it was unacceptable for Bounty sales reps to be on hospital wards, as well as highlighting a number of other concerns about Bounty reps' selling practices, so we're calling on government to end this kind of direct selling/data collecting on NHS wards. See more here.

It's clear, from the survey results, that, even after Bounty updated its code of conduct (these results only include users who gave birth from May 2012 - the full results containing prior data are here) its practices leave a lot to be desired, and that Mumsnet users feel very strongly that the maternity ward is no place for a hard sell, so we're really hoping that government will listen to us.

Here's how you can help...

Please sign the petition

If you're on Twitter please tweet your support for the campaign with the hashtag #bountymutiny and the following link:

tiny.mn/1bsnpNw

If you're on Facebook then please like campaign page our campaign page (there's a FB link to click at the top on the left).

If you're on Google+, well, you'll know what to do.

We'll, of course, keep you posted here about the campaign and any developments. Thanks to everyone for their stories, honesty and input. Here's hoping we can make a difference!

milktraylady, didn't you read the comment underneath. She DOES have links with Bounty.

FTR there is a comment about the identity of someone else in the article. They are incorrect. It is a different person with the same name.

However, the correct person has her blog page listed her:
Bounty Supporters Page

She is also part of the another blog which is also listed on the same page.

Ladies,
Can you help me?
Just putting together an email to my MP regarding the EDM and just want to check who started the petition. I know it wasn't mumsnet.
Was it 'The Birth I Want'?

Cheers

Think so.

Vicky Garner is founder.

Thanks Red, I've read so bloody much I can't remember what I've seen and I want to make sure I'm only stating facts.

Cheers

Hairy, I think it was BMJ who sparked it off this time.

I'm sorry if I appeared rude earlier, MP, it wasn't my intention. I said that if they had a room outside of the wards they wouldn't need to go on the ward. You said that wouldn't work because of alarms etc. I said they have to leave the hospital eventually. You said some mums leave the hospital first (due to having 5 premature babies and having left 3 of the in hospital and you said "mums leave" I took that to mean on their own) which isn't really relevant to the discussion even if I had understood right. The point is that you have to walk through the hospital to leave it.

Your comment about having to chase the reps is exactly the point. That's not anyone's job! All the objections to the Mutiny are saying that reps do MW/ MWA jobs and MW/ MWA are doing the reps job. This isn't on! These aren't interchangeable roles, something is wrong with our maternity system and leaving this awful practice in place isn't going to and is not the way to fix it.

Darn, I tried to respond to one of the comments on the Telegraph links and liked it

Thanks Cougette, I have links for Dr Margaret McCarntney's piece in the BMJ and Prof Alice Roberts in Guardian. Have I missed anything else BMJ-wise?

Trying to be clear that its not just MN v Bounty, and that there is other bodies/medical professionals against the practice.

Oh, that reminds me NCT had a campaign too.... I'll tweet the NCT lady (CEO?)

Also, trying to cover key points without writing war and peace so that she doesn't read it all. And be clear the issue is bedside sales approaches.

Head hurts.....

Agree about the interchangeable roles thing courgette (and how they really shouldn't be). There's a lot of fuzzy thinking and practice going on which is enabling this Bounty debarkle to continue unhindered .... until now Mwa ha ha !

Hairy, it's Belinda Phipps.

I've just seen an email notification about a reply to my message. I'm out and can't pick it up on my phone on the site, but it's pretty scathing, think I picked her scab, so I'm not too worried about the lack of rush to respond

Cheers courgette ill message her. I did ask NCT for info on their campaign a few weeks ago but didn't hear anything.

@JugglingFromHereToThere

Talking of the pernicious encroachment of baby milk formula companies MNHQ - Do you realise that at the very top of this page (and every page) is an advert ....

"Claim your baby goodies ... free nappies, formula, and other samples we have sourced ..... " @ I won't be giving them any more free publicity by giving a name !

I hope this ad will soon be going as I think you have strict guidelines on the advertising and giving of free samples of formula milk do you not MNHQ ?!

Will be reporting my own post for your speedy attention.

Hi Juggling. Thanks for flagging those ads to us. We've blocked them now.

Oh I got a reply from my trust executive....although it only says they will get back to me within a week or so...

Still CONTACT.

Thanks Helen MN
Someone was quick -
when I looked again they were gone

I have had a response back from the CE of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust following my letter. They have initiated a system of leaflets in each of their rooms, in which you can indicate whether you want a visit from a Bounty rep or not. These will be collected by the maternity unit staff each morning and given to the rep. Seems like a good compromise, so those who are willing to see the rep can, while everyone else doesn't need too. Let's just hope it works! (He has answered the other questions in the letter, but as it's a pdf I can't copy and paste).

Good stuff, Minky.

I hope
a) Bounty are paying for the leaflets, since this is their commercial activity
b) the leaflets state what Bounty do (take photos, collect your data to pass on to other companies, give out samples packs)

If the leaflets just say, "Would you like to see the Bounty lady for freebies?", that still leaves women being caught on the hop about the photography selling and the data collection.

Both me and my baby were ill initially. The Bounty rep concerned was very tactful and withdrew immediately. She returned several days later and asked nicely if I wanted photos and did some beautiful ones. There was zero pressure to buy.

Contrasted with the stream of other interruptions I had from random people wanting to bang on about breastfeeding to me - and give me extremely poor advice, the woman who wanted to fix the TV so I could pay money to watch it despite being told no repeatedly, the maintenance men who wanted to do work while I was feeding my baby/trying to clean my c-section scar (!), the Bounty rep was no hassle at all. The others I could cheerfully have thrown from the window by day 5, especially as they continually woke the baby. However, in principle, I don't believe they should be allowed on the wards.

Kind of glad I have those photos of her first days though...

Yes indeed Suffolk ... one comment there ending with something along the lines ... "No, no. Get rid ! Should never have been allowed in the first place. Ridiculous."
Many posts would be quite at home here I think. And as someone over there said just because someone was interested to join a talk forum to chat with other Mums doesn't really show any commitment to Bounty as an organisation - and certainly not for the bed to bed marketing.

I suspect there are posters who come on MN to back Bounty because they've been led to believe it's an MN v Bounty thing.

I think the Bounty thread is amazing. I genuinely thought the Bounty website would be more pro-Bounty as a whole.