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!

Hello

I'll have a dig for Birmingham responses, but check out this page for our most recent indication that a trust (Shrewsbury and Telford) us going to review its contract.

lol so of course you can have a copy of the posters yes it was Twitter, I don't use Twitter but been watching. I pinched it for my profile pic and thought it would be good for a poster too.

While I'd love to see Bountry removed from maternity hospitals something about this campaign makes me nervous and I wonder if someone with a bit of medical/legal background could clarify this for me?
If we campaign for the removal of Bounty reps because they are harrassing women at a vulnerable time, are we in any way compromising our (hard-fought-for-and-not-really-there-yet-imho) rights as patients in the process of childbearing/early parenthood to make decisions about our care and accept/decline medical intervention at this point?
Sorry if this has been covered before and I've missed it.

Bounty is not medical care, it's direct marketing at the bedside. I think removing it (and we're only really talking about reps) will have the opposite effect of what you're suggesting. As had been pointed out before, you don't get this on other wards and it wouldn't be accepted, that's a yardstick we need to hold up.

In other wards the Scarey you get is the wrens bringing around a trolley of snacks and mags.

I hate autocorrect Scarey was closest! Not as bad as snacks and shags it originally put in I don't even use that word!

expectant and new mothers arn't ill, and are therefore unlike other patient groups. If, as a group of women, we are saying that we shouldn't be expected to make a judgement about who to give our information to, or decide to buy a pack of photos or not, what other judgements are "off?"
I'll rest easier supporting this campaign if it were concentrated on Bounty's practices and not an assumption about the vulnerability of the average post-natal woman.

rights in childbirth do not depend (in law) on the support of an advocate.

Women ARE hormonal, most are emotional and exhausted and those who aren't trying to bond with their new baby are worried about what's going on elsewhere in the hospital (I say elsewhere because if they're not on the ward they're not meeting bounty). Postnatal wards are there for mums to rest before they go home.

Not everyone elsewhere in the hospital is sick either, why aren't they being marketed to? Is it possibly because marketing has no place on wards?

Suffolk didn't say it does depend on it, she said it's often agreed before hand with an advocate. Decisions a mum makes during birth are about her health and safety and that of the baby, bounty is hardly a life and death decision that needs disturbing the mother for.

I might be late noticing this but it hasn't been mentioned here.

edm original text:

That this House notes with concern the interruption of new mothers in NHS maternity wards by sales representatives; expresses concern that these representatives pass on advertising material during this time, that, more worringly, they extract data from these new mothers in order to sell it on to third parties and that sales representatives' motivation is unclear, with many new mothers believing they are giving their details to an official from the NHS; further notes that this confusion is compounded by the fact that HM Revenue and Customs pays Bounty £90,000 annually to distribute child benefit forms in their 812,000 baby bags, the information from which is sold on to third parties; further expresses concern that the NHS receives £2.3 million annually in fees and equipment from Bounty for access to maternity wards; highlights a recent Mumsnet survey which showed that over half of new mothers felt the Bounty sales representative invaded their privacy; further expresses concern that new mothers are taken advantage of by these practices during a vulnerable time; further highlights that Bounty baby bags and other marketing materials, such as Emily's Diary, validated by the Royal College of General Practitioners, which offers gift packs in exchange for personal data, implies the approval of these products and practices by NHS doctors, radiographers and midwives; condemns the commercialisation of the NHS maternity ward; congratulates Poole NHS Hospital Trust for cancelling its contract with Bounty; and calls on the Government to stop allowing sales representatives on to all maternity wards, to ensure that materials handed to new parents at this time are informative without advertisement and to forbid the selling of data acquired at this time being sold on to third parties.

Amendment 319A1 - MARKETING ON MATERNITY WARDS

Session: 2013-14
Date tabled: 10.07.2013
Primary sponsor: Mordaunt, Penny
Sponsors:leave out from 'notes' to end and add 'that pregnant women, new mothers and their families require access to information, advice and support; welcomes the provision of 2.6 million free pregnancy and newborn guides containing essential health information, including public health advice from the Department of Health, to all pregnant women and new mothers through Bounty parenting club packs; notes that Bounty packs reach 96 per cent of new mothers across the UK; further notes that 81 per cent of Bounty members have a household income of under £50,000; further welcomes the fact that 82 per cent of all UK child benefit is paid as a result of the forms distributed through Bounty packs; highlights that the distribution of child benefit forms through Bounty packs costs the taxpayer 10 pence per form compared to 33 pence per form through the post; further welcomes the partnership between NHS trusts, healthcare professionals and Bounty in working together to provide patient-centred care to pregnant women and new mothers; further highlights that criticism of Bounty has been led by its commercial competitor Mumsnet; and urges the Government to continue supporting parenting clubs such as Bounty, Emma's Diary by the Royal College of General Practitioners and Baby and You by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, which offer an essential and valuable source of advice and information to women and their families.'.

This reverses what it says and accuses mumsnet of long a witch hunt!

courgette !

And it focuses on the fucking packs again.

Don't get too worried by this Courgette, its just one MP, Penny Mordaunt (Portsmouth North) saying she disagrees with it. I see no one else signed her amendment yet. I hope there are some of Penny Mordaunt's constituents who will let her know just what they think of her intervention!

An interesting snippet, according to her own website she was "Head of Foreign Press for George W. Bush?s 2000 election campaign". Not many would be proud of that.

Yes yes, Bounty exists to provide patient-centred care to new mothers.

It's all just a dreadful misunderstanding that industry describes them as a marketing and Big Data company.

"Bounty is a dynamic and innovative direct marketing business providing below-the-line support to major pharmaceutical companies and other leading brands and services that wish to specifically target families with young children. Its experience and expertise in developing marketing channels to this audience is based on unrivalled insight and focus in this field. It is as a result of this understanding that, for the last 48 years, Bounty has been providing valuable information for expectant and new mothers through the healthcare environment, retailers and its own channels and distributors." DDC Outsourcing Solutions

"LONDON - Mother-and-baby marketing company Bounty has a new data services director with the appointment of Dean Epton, previously managing director at Claritas.
Epton has been taken on to spearhead the future development of the company's data solutions division, including its extensive database.
"The potential for growth at Bounty is huge. Brand owners are constantly searching for new ways to understand consumers, and Bounty has a unique data set which offers a range of information at a life changing moment," Epton said.
Bounty develops information and distributes product samples to health professionals and young families through its various packs including the Mum-To-Be, New Mum, Pregnancy, Overnight Essentials and Toddler Packs.
Its website Bounty.com boasts a community of 250,000 mums while its young families database numbers more than 8.5m mums and dads -- said to be the largest in the UK.
Simon Williamson, group managing director, said: 'Bounty has a unique and rich set of data - and a wide range of clients, from FMCG firms to financial services companies and auto-manufacturers.'
'Dean's role will be to expand this further, using his excellent knowledge and experience of the data sector to work on new product development and the opening up of new opportunities in the marketplace.'"
Brand Republic

"LONDON - Euro RSCG Worldwide, part of French group Havas, has created a new cross-discipline marketing business by folding eight UK agencies, including Euro RSCG Wnek Gosper, Euro RSCG KLP and the PR agency Biss Lancaster, under a single management team.
...
Other agencies to be folded into the new entity are the financial PR shop the Maitland Consultancy; corporate branding agency CGI BrandSense; Conran Design Group; marketing and sampling agency Euro RSCG Bounty; and Euro RSCG Interaction, the digital marketing agency."
Brand Republic again

"Type: Privately Held
Company Size: 501-1000 employees
Website: www.bounty.com
Industry: Marketing and Advertising"
Bounty's own LinkedIn page

And just to repeat what JustineMN said, "There is a time and a place for direct sales, and it's not on postnatal wards, hours after women have given birth."

It's not the existence of a marketing company we're complaining about: it's the company's practices.

Also want to repeat from article above:

Bounty's clients are auto-manufacturers and financial services companies.
Mums and dads are Bounty's data.

Sorry, I know almost everyone on here already understands the above. I just needed to write it down to remind myself in the face of Alice in Wonderland statements about Bounty being in a care partnership.

And to remind myself that of course they will fight tooth and nail: we're threatening their business model. The real one, not the pretend "We're providing useful services to new parents" one.

I think the annoying thing about the amendment is it's not an amendment, that would be "you missed something" this is opposition that's not doing a very good job of masquerading as an amendment.

I looked her up and I'm shocked, it's not the same you'd expect from her recent work. Hopefully there are constituents of her's here who can stand up to her.

The amendment is now supported by Philip Davies, MP for Shipley, West Yorkshire. So, some protests from his constituents might be appropriate?

Definitely. Can MNHQ tweet them both too? I've seen they've been busy tweeting MPs.

Bounty's clients are auto-manufacturers and financial services companies.
Mums and dads are Bounty's data.

Bounty's ICO registration

Actually Bounty's data are not just parents.

Data Subjects are:

Staff including volunteers, agents, temporary and casual workers
Relatives, guardians and associates of the data subject
Advisers, consultants and other professional experts

Just a point here, but if you work for the NHS is your privacy being protected by your employer, if you are Bounty's data subject?

I'm hoping they mean those that work for bounty because I'm hoping to volunteer at my local hospital.

But why would they collect data on their own staff? There is nothing profitable in it. They have no reason to declare this - or its purposes. They would simply be a normal employer who doesn't have to register this with the ICO.