Sophie Angwin-Thornes

Clinical Negligence Senior Associate @rwkgoodman Part of the @whataboutmums Instagram page sharing postnatal experiences of mums injured during childbirth

[Sophie Angwin-Thornes @Sophie_Angwin]

Women are being let down by the government current inaction on an overhaul of maternity services. I have spoken with @masic_uk on what’s happening and what they want to see.

[RWK Goodman @RWKGoodman]

Is maternity care improving in the wake of repeated scandals?

@sophie_angwin from our maternal injury team takes a look at whether lessons are being learned 👇

#LessonsLearned #MaternityCare

🔗https://t.co/paR9sfhxkX

[RWK Goodman @RWKGoodman]

Families have the right to seek answers and justice after the death of a loved one, and it's our responsibility to enable that process to take place.

We highlight this work in the latest edition of our Team Around the Client Magazine 👇

#LessonsLearned

https://t.co/gOoGcUzRY1

[Sophie Angwin-Thornes @Sophie_Angwin]

My client in response to the Birth Trauma report said “thankfully there seems to be a swell of public consciousness” on birth trauma. This has to be the turning point in maternity services, let’s keep up the public engagement and support on this! https://t.co/1yiezx7Lbf

[RWK Goodman @RWKGoodman]

Today an All-Party Parliamentary Group inquiry into Birth Trauma has released a report on its findings.

@Sophie_Angwin from @ClinNegTeam says "The report is a harrowing read which shines a spotlight onto the standard of maternity care in the UK.

🧵(1/3)

[BirthTrauma @BirthTrauma]

Below the line comment on the Times story about the birth trauma inquiry.

[Sophie Angwin-Thornes @Sophie_Angwin]

Sunday 5th May was International Day of the Midwife and to mark this event we had the opportunity to chat with 2 midwives, Jenny Fraser who qualified in 1975 and her daughter Frances Fraser who qualified in 2010 - check out link to podcast

[RWK Goodman @RWKGoodman]

Ahead of International Day of the Midwife 2024 this Sunday, Hannah Blackwell, Senior Associate in our Injury team, spoke to Frances Fraser and Jenny Fraser about the challenges facing midwives today.

🎧 Listen: https://t.co/TVe3G3WJR3

[James Titcombe @JamesTitcombe]

Is it fair to say that ‘the majority of maternity services are not safe’? Perhaps ‘…not as they safe as they could be’ would be more balanced? But what should the word ‘safe’ actually mean when it comes to maternity services? For me:

- Safe means safe 24/7 - every day of the week and every hour of the day
-Safe means safe for everyone - safe for the ‘low risk’ mum who develops complications suddenly - safe for the ‘low risk’ baby who deteriorates on the post natal ward, safe for the young mum who speaks poor English, safe for all ethnicities and skin colours
- safe means safe for midwives and doctors to come to work able to provide the care they would want for their own families…safe means staff able to raise concerns openly when they can’t
- and safe means that when things go wrong, those affected are supported to heal and recover, where organisational learning and change to prevent future harm is a non-negotiable given.

On this basis, I think it’s fair to say that very few maternity services are ‘safe’ - we shouldn’t be afraid to say so and we shouldn’t be afraid to call for change.

[RWK Goodman @RWKGoodman]

This isn't a new start. It's the next step.

Delighted to have welcomed over 150 of our Bristol contacts, clients and friends at the Bristol Museum & Art Gallery last night, as we celebrated the launch of our new Bristol office.

#Bristol #BristolLawFirm #BristolLawSociety

[The MASIC Foundation @masic_uk]

Have you experienced a 3rd or 4th degree tear as a result of childbirth?

MASIC is collecting data on the costs of OASI injuries - to you and your family, and the NHS.

The survey is open until the end of April: https://t.co/3MlVCLc4Ba

All answers given will remain anonymous.

[BirthTrauma @BirthTrauma]

So good to hear Professor Doshani's contribution on Monday. We all learnt a lot.

[Sky News @SkyNews]

"The birth of Gillian Castle's son left her with a permanent stoma and subsequently she had to leave her job as a police officer."

https://t.co/H719x6onfN

[Shamaan Freeman-Powell @Shamaan_SkyNews]

Huge thank you to Gill Castle, @masic_uk and @theodoraclarke for speaking to me about birth trauma and the impact it has on thousands of women each year - marking the end of the first ever parliamentary inquiry on the issue.

[Sophie Angwin-Thornes @Sophie_Angwin]

@hblackwellrwk @KerstinScheel

[Sophie Angwin-Thornes @Sophie_Angwin]

Some worrying findings from the CQC of maternity services in Swindon/Wiltshire. Findings of 3rd and 4th degree tears being downgraded in severity - preventing proper treatment and this prevented those cases from being investigated and lessons learnt.

[BBC Health News @bbchealth]

Great Western Hospital's maternity service downgraded https://t.co/nh6ghLHefg

[Kerstin Scheel @KerstinScheel]

Heartbreak for women at prestigious London NHS fertility clinic- freezing error may make eggs and blastocysts unusable ⁦@ClinNegTeam⁩
https://t.co/602TxEV4oQ

[BirthTrauma @BirthTrauma]

"Around one or two in every 100 women suffer from post-traumatic stress after giving birth, while five percent of partners develop trauma symptoms after being present during the birth, reports Tommy’s." Er, no. https://t.co/qhLIeKEfoR

[RWK Goodman @RWKGoodman]

What are a mother's legal rights in pregnancy and childbirth?

@hblackwellrwk explained everything expecting mums need to know in our recent Team Around the Client Magazine.

@birthrightsorg #MaternityCare #BirthRights

https://t.co/5SRDOw4d1P

[Maternity Safety Alliance @Safe_Maternity]

👏👏👏 @JuliaCumberlege, speaking in the House of Lords debate, has just supported our call for a #MaternityInquiry.

The Baroness says we need a "fresh plan for maternity services".

[Sophie Angwin-Thornes @Sophie_Angwin]

Excited to launch our new look ✨ instagram page @whataboutmums
This is my passion project aimed at improving maternal outcomes, championing patient safety and breaking stigma about birth injury. Give us a follow ❤️