Suggestions
Simran Chawla
UN CSW68 Delegate | Public Health and Gender-based Violence trainer, researcher and activist | WHO Master trainer on Health Sector Response to Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG)
Simran Chawla is a seasoned professional with a diverse background in Public Health and Development. With a wealth of experience in delivering research, training, and interventions on HIV, reproductive & sexual health, and TB in both the UK and India, she possesses a robust understanding of Monitoring and Evaluation tools and methods. Her expertise extends to project coordination within health promotion and a deep knowledge of North-South dynamics, gained from working with a prominent London-based international development organization.
Highlights
This sounds like a real breakthrough in emergency care provision for severe allergies- something that employers, public venues and so many others can adopt!
TW: Birth trauma
This is an incredibly powerful and upsetting read.
I’ve never given birth. But as a professional working in the NHS I have read findings from the Ockenden Review on failures in maternity services and I once again felt a searing sense of rage for how many women are treated so appallingly while giving birth and after experiencing trauma and life-altering pain in that process. I’ve had friends who’ve experienced the horrors and trauma of childbirth-related care and some who’ve had really positive stories to tell too. Not surprisingly, this article makes the point that as is often the case, things will likely only change in response to the data “demonstrating how much the issue costs the NHS and society in the long term - £8.1 billion for each one-year cohort of birth.” Yes, read that figure again. And it will never even reflect the human suffering behind each story.
It’s horrendous that we are still having to be reminded that “The ….one thing that came out if that is: women just need to be listened to. We know our bodies. We know when something’s wrong.” I’ve had doctors who absolutely believed this (in a non-maternity context) and it literally saved my life.
The NICE guideline on Intrapartum Care states “Healthcare professionals should do everything they can to make the birth a positive experience for you and any birth companions you have…it is important that you are given information that is understandable to you…in appropriate ways, so you can make fully informed choices about you or your baby’s care during labour and birth, and immediately after.”
It’s a privilege to work in the NHS and we also know it’s buckling under unprecedented pressure and solutions will not be simple. Let’s hope vital lessons are learnt on training and a lifetime of trauma is not the price someone pays for giving birth.
#birthtrauma #womenshealthstrategy #listentowomen
