Kay Sheldon

Interested in justice, mental health, disability & things that grow. Views are my own & my thoughts are free.

[Kay Sheldon @KayFSheldon]

Repeated themes in the Amos report:

understaffing, low morale, burn out, bullying, soaring caesareans, worsening outcomes, racism, poor facilities.

Since 2015, data shows maternity services have deteriorated into a dangerous mess.

Normal birth ‘ideology’ is not the issue.

[Kay Sheldon @KayFSheldon]

Clinicians are starting to speak out about the skyrocketing caesareans, worse safety outcomes & the culture of fear in maternity services 🙏
Until 2015, safety outcomes were improving 😢
We have to reverse the toxicity of the last 10+ years. Lives depend on it.

[Kay Sheldon @KayFSheldon]

Caesareans have doubled yet baby & maternal deaths & stillbirths have all increased in Devon since 2015.

Services can’t cope: over-stretched, blame-ridden & short staffed.

The legacy of Jeremy Hunt & co. 😡

[Kay Sheldon @KayFSheldon]

@purmj @JoolsGra @Jeremy_Hunt I think the intention was to be a patient safety saviour but unfortunately the way he (& others) went about it alienated midwives & created a culture of fear which led to skyrocketing interventions which overloaded services causing more harm, which he then attributed to midwives

[Kay Sheldon @KayFSheldon]

@purmj @JoolsGra @Jeremy_Hunt Hunt was the architect behind the so-called maternity safety initiatives around 2015. The way he went about it catapulted maternity services into a toxic, fearful mess they they’re still reeling from.

[Kay Sheldon @KayFSheldon]

@md6hn7cgpf @hannahmary31 As I’ve said I’m looking at deaths (& very serious harm) - over a specific period & the reasons for the sudden change & subsequent increases.
I’m not comparing the pros & cons of different modes of birth.

[Kay Sheldon @KayFSheldon]

@purmj @JoolsGra @Jeremy_Hunt His focus on patient safety: 🤯😢

[Kay Sheldon @KayFSheldon]

@md6hn7cgpf @hannahmary31 I do. I have an MSc in research. I haven’t made any claims about direct causes. I have looked at a huge amount of corroborating information & evidence. I’m comfortable in the conclusions I’ve drawn (& not drawn)

[Kay Sheldon @KayFSheldon]

@dean_deanhough @myobstetrician @emilyltownsend @denis_campbell @BBCHughPym This is interesting from yesterday. We’re in a ‘doom loop’ which drives more fear & so more interventions & so more pressure on services & so makes services less safe & so on & on.

We have to break this cycle as future pregnant women & babies will suffer

https://t.co/j7VzlWuJax

[Kay Sheldon @KayFSheldon]

Soaring medical interventions yet birth injuries are at a record level 😢

No, ‘normal birth ideology’ is not the problem 😡 @jeremy_hunt

Life-changing child birth injuries at record levels in UK - scale of maternity ward failures laid bare https://t.co/Pz96fIo7ZZ

[Kay Sheldon @KayFSheldon]

@hundredfamilies @MrsEmmaWebber According to the MoJ Restricted Patients stats, for example, most stay longer in hospital
Also, they are subject to ongoing restrictions (usually for life) with very low re-offending compared to prisoners.
Equivalent patients never released e.g: Allitt, Brady, Sutcliffe, Bryan

[Kay Sheldon @KayFSheldon]

@susannarose99 Well, I still think what you said originally is untrue. Staff do receive more money than patients. Families cannot claim PIP.

[Kay Sheldon @KayFSheldon]

@NotTimorous @emilyltownsend @denis_campbell @BBCHughPym @myobstetrician That’s up to you. The main point remains.

[Kay Sheldon @KayFSheldon]

@Express_Knowles He has no chance of release in January. It’s very likely he’ll never be released. Generally violent offenders in psychiatric hospitals are detained significantly longer than those in prison for the same offence.

[Kay Sheldon @KayFSheldon]

@LyndaH68 @LBC @NickFerrariLBC Deterrents for mentally ill people wouldn’t work. They don’t work for other people either if you look at the USA

[Kay Sheldon @KayFSheldon]

@md6hn7cgpf @hannahmary31 Thousands more avoidable deaths since 2015 is quite a lot of harm. Also number of brain injuries have increased as have the number of legal claims. That’s a lot of extra harm in just over a decade.

[Kay Sheldon @KayFSheldon]

@susannarose99 @MrsEmmaWebber I was relying on my direct experience which is clearly different from yours.

[Kay Sheldon @KayFSheldon]

@md6hn7cgpf @hannahmary31 Deaths tend to be recorded.

[Kay Sheldon @KayFSheldon]

@NotTimorous @emilyltownsend @denis_campbell @BBCHughPym You did say there was a fear of childbirth & to resolve this, fix maternity problems first. I’m saying we need to fix the culture of fear. Irrespective of terms used both pregnant women & staff are more anxious (@myobstetrician ‘s main point) because of this.