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Original poster

did everyone know the department of health is 'in partnership' with Mumsnet?

6 replies

edam · 10/12/2009 16:44

Apparently the government is working in partnership with MN to 'allow users to provide feedback' on maternity care.

According to a govt plan for the NHS over the next five years 'NHS 2010?2015: from good to great.'

I didn't know about this - anyone else? MN HQ?

Sounds like a jolly good idea but not sure posters consider themselves 'partners' of the government...

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MNHQ

JustineMumsnet · 11/12/2009 16:40

Jeez Louise - have only just noticed this! You're right about the members thing - that's just an error - it's 850 000 unique visitors a month not registered members - that's around 270k. (Although our unique visitors for Nov were over a million, so that stats out of date anyway.) We'll change that page right away - thanks for the heads up.

Thanks also for your comments re this DoH partnership - as far as I know (and Carrie will clarify because she was in the meeting with the civil servants, not me) it is centred around MN being used for dissemination of information - eg about hospitals etc - via MN local. Clearly it's a partnership in one sense but not really a political one - more a practical one.

It's the same idea as the Tories really - using existing channels to disseminate info rather than building expensive stand alone ones. Makes obvious sense and we see no reason not to be involved.

But your comments are interesting and useful - this is new territory for us - working with government that is - and so we are in the process of working out what makes sense structure-wise.

MNHQ

JustineMumsnet · 11/12/2009 16:47

Ok so Carrie has just confirmed that this is what's been agreed with the DoH:

We have an agreement in principle to help them get feedback on hospital, GP's and maternity services. This is a technical work in progress and will involve having some sort of widget on Local which will allow us to offer feedback that will appear both on MN and on NHS websites. No real money in it, small amount given to cover tech costs, but it should be useful for Mnetters as well as useful to gov to improve services.

MNHQ

JustineMumsnet · 11/12/2009 18:31

I do take the point re membership yes - we don't normally cite members, rather users, this instance was simply an error.

In general we aren't aiming to do things that could be classed as aligning ourselves politically - obviously you'd never get a MN consensus re that! Instead we want to exert pressure in the areas where it's clear there is pretty much unanimous agreement amongst Mumsnetters like miscarriage, or improving breastfeeding support.

In general I think it would be a great shame not to get involved when we are being asked to contribute in shaping policy in these areas. As for cynical PR moves - I don't really care so long as it gets better treatment of women who miscarry and more support for breastfeeding mums - and I do think we are in a position to exert pressure and not simply be used. There has to be some advantage to being in the media spotlight . But I might well be a simpleton...

MNHQ

JustineMumsnet · 11/12/2009 21:12

Hmm I just disagree I'm afraid. The miscarriage code quite simply would not have been if it hadn't been for the MN usership and the frankly appalling treatment of many, many members detailed on these boards. The code of practice was not our (MNHQ's) idea. It was an idea that came up on a thread and was widely supported. The ten points in it were suggested and honed by members on a discussion thread. There was, as I recall not one voice of dissent in the entire time it was being discussed and it was discussed at length. We have a great many emails from members saying how pleased they are that MN is airing this issue. You're never going to get every Mumsnet user endorsing anything but you can have a pretty good idea if something is representative of how our members feel by having a debate and seeing if there is any dissent.

I have to say it would feel disingenuous (!) to claim that this campaign was conceived by MNHQ. It was absolutely inspired by, conceived by, and widely endorsed by Mumsnetters.

We are - perhaps for a very short time indeed - in a position, where it feels like we have the luxury of the ear of those in power. To do nothing I think would be wrong and to claim the issues we have focused were our idea at MNHQ would be a lie.

And incidentally, we have only ever represented MNetters views - not our own. We always tell the meedja that we are merely mouthpieces for the board - I don't go on radio Solent and say "I think this and I think that" I say "Well on MN the majority are saying this, or some people are saying this and some people that". That's the way it's always been.

MNHQ

JustineMumsnet · 11/12/2009 21:38

But MN's core philosophy (or mission statement if you will) is to "Make parents' lives easier". So of course we want to get out there - we always have - we think MN is great and (on the whole) makes folks lives easier. We have never shied away from publicity for MN.

But no one was listening about miscarriage until the recent surge in political and press interest. Now they are - so it's not all bad.

MNHQ

JustineMumsnet · 11/12/2009 21:49

We do have a partnership of sorts with the NCT, Elliot. They link to our forums from their site - we give them a bit of dosh for everyone they send us.

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