Curb the salesmen who prey on new mothers, minister tells hospitals
Patrick Sawer, Laura FitzPatrick
Edward Malnick
HOSPITALS are failing to protect new mothers from high-pressure salesmen who try to sell them products hours after giving birth.
Parents have complained that mothers are being preyed on in their hospital beds and many fear personal family data is being shared with third parties.
Today, Caroline Dinenage, the care minister, is calling on hospitals to control “intrusive” sales-people offering photographs and handing out fliers and to ensure families feel they are in a “safe and comfortable environment”.
Writing in today’s Sunday Telegraph, she warns that staff from organisations such as Bounty can cause women “embarrassment and offence” when they are feeling vulnerable.
Ms Dinenage urges health managers to follow Ipswich Hospital’s example and only allow sales representatives from companies to visit parents who have given their consent. In August, East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Trust changed its policy after Joanne Bowman, 44, complained of “disgusting” treatment by a Bounty representative at Ipswich Hospital.
Cards are now to be placed at the bedside of new mothers at the hospital to indicate whether they are happy to be approached by sales representatives.
Mrs Bowman, from Woodbridge, Suffolk, said: “I’m not bothered about their gift pack. They shouldn’t be allowed to mine my son’s data within 24 hours of him being born. It’s disgusting.”
Bounty has said it was happy to support the initiative at Ipswich Hospital.
The care minister is urging all hospitals to “ensure mothers are not placed in an uncomfortable situation”, saying they must “review the current guidance to safeguard the well-being of all women who have given birth”.
Mrs Dinenage warns: “Representatives from Bounty and other companies may well be a valuable source of information but their approach can sometimes be a little ‘off’.”
A petition signed by more than 26,900 people urged ministers five years ago to ban the practice of handing out promotional packs on maternity wards after The Telegraph exposed the “cash-for-access” scandal.
Dan Poulter, the health minister at the time, hospitals and the health regulator vowed to take action against maternity wards and birthing units that did not “ensure the protection of women’s privacy and dignity”.
Under the 2013 proposals, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) would issue warning notices to hospitals, issue fines or, in more severe cases, refuse to register the service. However, the CQC could not confirm how many times it had invoked those powers.
New mothers have complained to The Telegraph about being approached by pushy sales representatives at prenatal hospital appointments and on maternity wards across the country.
Natalie and Adrian McNeece, from Herts, came across Bounty at Mrs McNeece’s 12-week scan. They were handed a branded folder containing their own medical records mixed with Bounty’s marketing material.
Mrs McNeece said: “It’s so subtle – we thought [Bounty] were part of the whole process, so signed up online. We then began receiving hoards of thirdparty marketing emails.”
A Bounty spokesman said: “We are very sorry if anyone has had an experience with us that is not up to our high standards. Bounty fully supports and acknowledges the need to respect the privacy and dignity of families on the maternity ward.
“Our code of conduct requires that we check with the midwifery team to establish which mums we may or may not visit. Research shows that the vast majority of new mothers enjoy, expect and welcome our services. We work closely with the NHS to ensure our services are offered on the basis of choice and that they comply with the standards required by our hospital partners.”
Responding to allegations of sharing parents’ personal data, the spokesman said: “In line with current data legislation, subsequent communications from Bounty and its partners are only sent when a mum gives permission and she can choose to be removed from our database at any time.”
A spokesman for the CQC said: “Women who have recently given birth on maternity wards have a right to privacy and their dignity must be respected. Where we identify this is not happening, we request that the trust addresses those concerns.”