MNHQ here: Bounty Mutiny (get Bounty and commercial reps off wards) - UPDATE

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello

Thought some of you would be pleased to hear that as the petition to ban commercial reps started by Lauren Harris has passed 10k signatures, the government had to provide a response.

In it, they praise Ipswich hospital for introducing:

'a system where mothers are only approached by a commercial representative if they indicate that this is something that they would like. Mothers can show their preference by placing a card on their bedside table. This is a good example of how Trusts can put processes in place to give new mothers clear control over their interaction with commercial representatives.'

They go on to say:

'The Government is considering how to clarify guidance, so that that the interaction between commercial representatives and new mothers on NHS wards is consistently more positive across the UK.'

So, a small step but hopefully a good one. For the GDPR mavens among you there's also some commentary on that issue in the response on the petition page (please let us know what you think!)

Please do sign the petition if you feel strongly about this - every signature demonstrates the strength of feeling on the issue, and if the petition reaches 100k it will be debated in Parliament.

If you've already signed, you could:

1. write to the hospital where you had your baby (or the hospital where you will be having your baby, or would have your baby at if you had a hospital birth). Bring the response to their attention (they may not be aware of the petition), and point out that the Government has clearly indicated hospitals should have this sort of opt IN system and that other mothers should be left alone.

2. Tweet/share a Facebook post to East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (@ESNEFT on Twitter) to commend Ipswich hospital on its policy, and tag in your local hospital trust asking them to do the same.

3. Tweet/share a Facebook post with the Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) asking them to prioritise new guidance for trusts on this issue.

If you have any ideas for other useful actions to take please add them here!

Thanks
MNHQ

I've shared my stories about Bounty which is (my second one) very similar to others on here. With my first birth the Bounty lady was lovely. I was sat on my bed in tears as I couldn't breastfeed and she explained honestly that she had come to sell photos but to never mind that and could she get me a cup of tea? I gratefully accepted. When she came back she apologised for intruding and said to catch her tomorrow if I wanted some photos of ds.I thanked her and said I would think about it. The next day she said hello and asked how I was. She didn't ask if I wanted a photo. However my mum wanted one when she visited and went off to track her down. Mum came back saying the woman had been singing my praises.
So when dd2 was born I expected more of the same. However the birth was horrendous and dd nearly died. I'd had 100+ stitches. The mw advised me to lie with knees apart to let my stitches get some air. She closed my curtains and pinned a do not disturb note to them. I heard the Bounty lady arrive (she sounded a lot like Beth from Corrie). I heard her getting closer and due to my previous Bounty experience had no concerns. I just thought she'd call out and I'd reply no thank you. If only. She pulled the curtain back and said " They don't like these closed during the day! Would you like a Bounty pack? You need one for your form." She got through this speil before taking in that I was lying there, legs akimbo, hazy from painkillers and no sleep. Everything on display. The midwife on duty flew at her and told her never to pull the curtains back. Maybe the curtains bring out rudeness in some people? The same day my neighbours partner felt through my curtain and took my visitors chair without asking.

I signed a similar petition years ago. Hoping this one has more success.
The bounty rep totally intruded on my experience as an anxious first time mum. The pressure to have photos taken was unbelievable.

I don't think the Norwich hospital idea is a small step in the right direction actually. I don't think the onus should be on vulnerable women to think about Bounty, they have just given birth FGS, they have a million other things to think about.
Commercial reps shouldn't stalk hospital wards full stop. Not the cancer wards. Not the ICU. Not the cardiac wards, kidney wards, chemo unit.... And not the maternity wards. They should just fuck off.
And yes, I do think this is a feminist issue. It is about preying on vulnerable women, socialised to be polite, when they are at their weakest. I don't think men would put up with this shit when they are getting medical care.
And it's a money thing too. You think these people stalk the Portland? No, only women who can't afford private healthcare get this intrusion.
I feel quite angry about this, can you tell?!

At the hospital my youngest was born in the Bounty reps have a table at the ward entrance and you (or a birt partner) need to go and speak to them if you want a pack or photos. The midwives enforce it really strongly and one was very open about how they were hoping to have te reps banned.

Even hospital volunteers are banned from maternity wards outwith visiting hours (there's a band/group of volunteers who do things like go to the shop for people with no visitors or even just pop by to say hello) and they are a lot more useful than Bounty reps.

Actually, it annoys me that we have to be polite when telling Bounty "thanks but no thanks". They have NO right to be on those wards. They have absolutely no justification for blundering in to post natal wards, foisting their crappy bags of leaflets on people in an attempt to either squeeze money out of them through photographs or by using and selling data.

We shouldn't have to be polite. Women who have just given birth shouldn't be required to pin a note to the curtains or put up a sign to ask to be left alone.

If Bounty want their cash they can find a room off ward and advertise their business and photography there. If people want the pictures they can go to them.

Fuck being polite. Bounty reps are intruding on women and babies and we shouldn't have to be polite to them.

I have nothing against their little packages, and they were helpful when I had my fist dc.

The last thing you want to see when you have just given birth is a smiley chugger. They have no place in a hospital.

Signed.

Delivered twins, got onto ward (into private room) at about 4am. With all the hustle and bustle (and the two new babies!), the shift change, breakfast, etc, I finally got the babies both settled and was about to try and shut my eyes before lunch/visiting...

You've guessed it. In came the Bounty rep!
I had also been told that I had to get my CB forms off her so felt I had no choice but to watch as she manhandled my sleeping babies, arranged them and took the most horrendous picture of them both crying (that I didn't buy). Only then did she leave me to it, telling me I had my hands full! I could have killed her - but hadn't had my necessary blood transfusion yet and with two conscious and unhappy babies to deal with, I just couldn't quite summon the strength! So instead, I joined the twins and had a cry!

Signed it now - good promotion MN

I hated this, you’ve literally just given birth, leave us alone bounty!! I also had a woman waltz into my room(was in a private room as they put my epi in wrong place and was awaiting blood patch) no idea who this woman worked for but she was asking for my newborns details for asthma Research they wanted to take her blood!!! she really pushed too. My newborn was 4 hours old, and luckily doesn’t even have asthma. I told her to fuck off (was surprisingly politej) I think the maternity wards should do more to protect mums in their care

DS1 is nearly 15 but, when he was born and I was very ill, the bounty reps did feel so official. Social media was barely in seedling stage back then, so there were no warnings. The freebies seemed quite handy, at the start. They got less and less for more and more information.

I got a call while nursing a tetchy 4 month old DS1 aggressively relying to sell me cancer cover, so unthinkable as the mother of a young child, didn't they think. They were most peeved that I wouldn't hand over my credit card details without seeing the small print. I never did receive that small print.

Mail through bounty comes to me as Ms pick and I still get some.

In contrast, unicef just left a package in my room, without taking personal info. Dh left it after I was whisked off to theatre, so I never did find out what was in it!

I was in hospital for a week and never saw a single Bounty rep! I felt quite sad about never having been offered this experience, but having read this thread, I think I was rather lucky!

Hi I’ve never posted a comment before (always read them tho!) but just feel the strong need to post my frustrating experience with Bounty on the maternity ward. At the time I honestly just thought it was me being a bit hormonal and over sensitive maybe. Within I’d probably say 30 mins max after I’d given birth for the first time having been on my knees leaning across a bean bag for 5 hours... in comes a clattering trolley disturbing such precious moments with my husband and new born baby - “have you had your bounty pack yet” I was like erm erm no... followed by “would you like some photos blah blah blah” I just said no thank you so she said “well I’ll come back in a while as you may change your mind”. I said no I dont want any and was in shock she had the audacity to disturb me and my family at such a private time. And she actually did come back! I told her that I had said no the first time and I meant it. I was in a private room at that time and remained there overnight. The following morning I was moved onto a ward for a few hours before coming home and low and behold... in she came again!! She pulled back my curtain which I had purposely drawn around my bed as I was breast feeding (or trying to given it was all new to me). I just couldnt believe it and said PLEASE just leave me alone I declined your offer twice yesterday. She apologised and clattered off to the next bed. I just felt that that bit of stress and frustration at such a vulnerable time was so unnecessary unwanted and unfair. There, I feel cleansed that I have released that and shared it! I have signed the petition this morning

Remember Ladies and Gents "Fuck off, now!" is also a complete sentence! I would never be polite to them ever. What their company even exists for, I don't know.

Although I'd love to see them banned completely (do the hospital get commission? ) in a strange way I'd love to be there when they come round after one of my DDs gives birth.
So I can have the pleasure of telling them once again to sod off and stick the bag where they will need obstetric forceps to remove it.
And breathe...

Ds1 was born on Boxing day and ds2 on a sunday so i dont thnk i ever saw the bounty reps , but i wonder how they make money as has been said most people have a smart pgone these days , dsd mum is a bounty rep i think its classed as self employed and its commision so i guess they want to make as mucg money as possible.

Signed. Myself and my partner will be trying for our first child soon and the thought of these vultures preying on women at such a vulnerable time is disgusting and scary. They shouldn’t be allowed in hospitals full stop.

There’s an interview with/article about Lauren Harris and Bounty in HuffPost this morning - that will help to raise awareness

They give the chocolate bar a bad name.

Cards are a stupid idea. I was in my own room all 3 times (baby in nicu etc) so they’d have to come in and bother me anyway. Which they did, including when I was using a breast pump. Don’t mind midwives and doctors seeing me like that but the bounty reps can fuck off!

If they have to be there why can’t they have a room/area that mums or dads can take the baby to and get a photo done there? Stick a poster up to advertise it. They need to be out of rooms and wards all together.

Agree with Fuck off is a complete sentence and it works

Signed. I remember them bothering people when I had my DCs nearly 15 years ago, and feeling shocked at a stranger asking to take photos of my babies. Can’t believe they’re still at it.

That comment made me laugh!

I didn’t see any bounty reps with my first DC... for my second DC at a different hospital I was in a bay with another lady who was happy having pictures taken and was actively asking about packages etc.

The Dr turned up and was talking to me when she’d finished with the other lady so she called through the curtain “I’ll come back later”
I replied “oh it’s ok thankyou”
She tried to insist (and sounded quite put out in her tone!) that she’d be back later and I had to repeat several times quite firmly “no thankyou”

She then foisted a postnatal bag on my bedside table full of more useless junk mail and leaflets like the kind I got prenatally (which I just recycled) and walked off in a huff.

Later that day I moved from the bay to a private room and the MW was moving my stuff. I said oh don’t bother with that bounty pack but the MW sort of insisted “oh no it’s yours!”

I felt a bit annoyed that everyone seemed to be pressuring me to accept a bag of pointless crap and junk mail that I didn’t ask for or want so when I packed to go home I made sure I left the bloody bag untouched on my bedside table in the hospital!!!

Nothing compared to the stories on here but it did feel annoying and intrusive!!

The chocolate bar one just to clarify!
Really good to read all your comments today and just sorry the majority of us have experienced such disrespectful treatment at such a private time and Im shocked to learn that its been going on in hospitals for years. Ridic.