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MNHQ

The Mumsnet Miscarriage Care campaign: what you can do

15 replies

RowanMumsnet · 16/06/2014 09:06

Hello

As you may have seen in the press and on the TV this morning, we're launching the next phase of our Miscarriage Care campaign today.

We want health trusts to implement our Code of Care, based on MNers' experiences.

We're asking Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt, shadow health spokesman Andy Burnham, and LibDem junior health minister Norman Lamb to pledge to include a commitment to improve miscarriage care, based on the principles in our code, in their 2015 election manifestos.

We need your help to make this happen - please have a look at our action page and get your clicking and sharing fingers ready.

And as ever, please post here to let us know what you think and whether you're getting involved. We'll post up more news here over the week.

Thanks
MNHQ

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MNHQ

RowanMumsnet · 16/06/2014 09:13

Oh, and if you tune in to This Morning at about 10.50 you should see our KatieMumsnet talking about the campaign with Sally, an MNer.

MNHQ

RowanMumsnet · 16/06/2014 13:39

Thanks very much all

Here's the This Morning clip if you missed it. Pro performance by Sally!

MNHQ

RowanMumsnet · 16/06/2014 13:41

And here's a piece in Grazia; it's in the Daily Mirror as well and we'll put up a link when we have one.

MNHQ

RowanMumsnet · 16/06/2014 16:07

Yes, the 11 is 11 individual women. The other stats are all percentages. 11 individuals isn't a huge proportion of the overall numbers responding, but we thought it was worth highlighting.

As others have said, obviously there is a good reason for keeping the baby's remains so that tests can be done (although this isn't always explained well), but it may also be that thought should be given to a less distressing alternative than asking women to keep the remains themselves, and transport them to hospital.

As to why we're having to reanimate this; we do see your point Juggling. NHS management has become very atomised under the last couple of governments, to the point where it's incredibly difficult to get all hospital trusts to change policies, even when (as, we like to think, in this case) the position is pretty unarguable.

That's why this time around we're taking the request to the top - to the politicians who are now, or who might be in 2015, in a position to insist that central levers are pulled.

And that's why every tweet, letter or email counts...

MNHQ

AmyMumsnet · 16/06/2014 16:22

Great news, thanks to all of your tweeting and campaigning, #miscarriagecare is trending locally across the UK. Keep it up!

The Mumsnet Miscarriage Care campaign: what you can do
MNHQ

AmyMumsnet · 16/06/2014 16:40

Even more great news - all of your tweeting has alerted Norman Lamb to our campaign and he's said he'll take a look at the page. Let's hope it leads to a pledge for better care.

The Mumsnet Miscarriage Care campaign: what you can do
MNHQ

RowanMumsnet · 17/06/2014 09:04

All best wishes from MNHQ to those of you who've had to go through this, or are going through it at the moment.

And many thanks to everyone who's tweeting, emailing or writing to their MPs and to the politicians at the top who can really make a difference by including this issue in their 2015 manifestos.

Accounts of personal experience are really helpful in any communication you send. Even if - maybe especially if - you had great care; it will show that we're not asking for the impossible, and that many healthcare trusts manage to get it right, so there's no reason why they can't all do it.

We're in the Daily Mail today (slight trigger warning for upsetting headline).

Conservative health minister Dan Poulter has said: ''We have invested £35 million to help improve maternity care, including investment in bereavement rooms and additional support for women who suffer miscarriage or a still birth. By 2017 there will be specialist mental health midwives available in every maternity unit.'

Which is good, but not quite what we're asking for - which is a commitment to include better miscarriage care, based on the principles in our code, in party election manifestos.

Please keep up the tweeting, emailing, sharing and noise-making. We had excellent results yesterday but we need to keep going.

MNHQ

RowanMumsnet · 17/06/2014 12:03

Yes please!

Our call to action page

Or this page with seven shocking statistics about miscarriage care

We're also on Buzzfeed today with a good run-down of what the campaign is about.

MNHQ

RowanMumsnet · 17/06/2014 15:17

Thanks prettybird, and yes we know health is devolved, honest. Our focus in this particular phase of the campaign is on the 2015 UK general election, which is why we've gone for these three particular politicians. The Scottish/NI/Welsh elections take place in 2016, and we'll do something similar in advance of that focusing on the relevant people.

We've found it's best to focus each phase of the campaign against one, clearly defined 'ask'; previously we've tried asking Mners to contact (for example) their own MPs, plus high-ranking Westminster politicians, plus devolved administrations, and so on - but the drop-off rate tends to be fairly high (understandably, given that people have only so much time to spare).

MNHQ

RowanMumsnet · 18/06/2014 09:53

@topsmart

Wholeheartedly support the campaign (veteran of 4 MCs here) and wrote to my fab MP - Kate Green - the last time we were asked who is behind it too.

Just wanted to ask: have you discussed the campaign with Healthwatch? I'm sure you know, they're the new body responsible for being the voice of the consumer in health and social care in England. The govt is committed through statutory powers to listen to Healthwatch's recommendations. The code of care seems right up their street.

Thanks topsmart - we'll look into it.

MNHQ

RowanMumsnet · 23/06/2014 14:54

Thank you so much for the emails, tweets and letters, and for sharing your stories on here.

Please keep going: we want to make sure each one of these politicians has to give us a straight answer about whether or not there will be a manifesto commitment.

We're pulling together some statistics about the activity last week and we'll post that up here when we have it.

MNHQ

RowanMumsnet · 24/06/2014 09:15

Morning! This news just in: shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham has agreed to come on for a webchat to talk about this on Wednesday lunchtime - please do put it in your diaries (we'll put up a link to the live webchat thread later on) so that you can join in, and let him know how important this issue is to you, and persuade him to make a manifesto commitment.

MNHQ

RowanMumsnet · 24/06/2014 18:25

And here's the webchat link - please do join us on Wednesday at 1.45pm.

MNHQ

RowanMumsnet · 25/06/2014 15:56

Hello again

Some of you will already know, but wanted to let you know that Andy Burnham has just said that improved miscarriage care will be included in Labour's 2015 general election manifesto - hurrah!

We need to get the LibDems and Conservatives to match this pledge if we can so do please keep up the pressure by tweeting, emailing, Facebooking and writing letters.

Suggested tweet (although of course feel free to do your own):

Hi @Jeremy_Hunt & @normanlamb pls join @andyburnhammp in pledging to improve #miscarriagecare by 2015. tiny.mn/1sbGQYv

Thanks
MNHQ

MNHQ

RowanMumsnet · 15/09/2014 17:22

Hello - just wanted to direct you to the new campaign update here

Thanks all

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