NCT Charity

1 week to go! Your last chance to express your interest in joining NCT's Board of Trustees is Thursday 7th August 💥 NCT’s Board of Trustees are elected by our members – ordinary parents, just like you. Become a member today, and run to become one of our next trustees 💚 If you want every parent to feel connected, confident and safe, we want to hear from you! We're building a Board that truly reflects the diverse families we support. We especially want to hear from you if you’re: under 35, a solo parent, and/or from a Black, Asian, or ethnically diverse background/community. Lived experience matters, and we want yours at the table. Find out more 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gp72KM-H #NCTCharity #ForEveryParent #Trustee #Volunteer

Want to help lead real change for new parents? 💥 NCT’s Board of Trustees are elected by our members – ordinary parents, just like you. Become a member today, and run to become one of our next trustees 💚 If you want every parent to feel connected, confident and safe, we want to hear from you! We're building a Board that truly reflects the diverse families we support, we especially want to hear from you if you’re: under 35, solo parents, and those from Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse backgrounds/communities. Lived experience matters, and we want yours at the table. 📆 Express your interest by Thursday 7th August Read our Candidate Pack 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gp72KM-H #NCTCharity #ForEveryParent #Trustee #Volunteer

🌿 Quarterly Feedback is in… and we’re feeling it. 💬💚 Sometimes the best way to show the value of Parents in Mind is simply to let the voices of the people we support do the talking. These words don’t come from a press release. They come from parents navigating postnatal depression, anxiety, isolation, fear - and see the strength in their struggle. 🤝 To our commissioners, NHS, social care, and VCSE partners – thank you for making sure families are referred, supported and never left behind. And to anyone wondering if there’s a space where you’ll be met with compassion, not judgement – there is. We’re right here. ✨ Let’s keep making peer support powerful, personal, and real. NCT Charity

Today Five X More has published its second Black Maternity Experiences report, capturing the pregnancy, birth and postnatal experiences of Black women across the country. If you’re a Black woman, know that NCT stands with you. We can help you to understand your maternity rights, self-advocate and support you to make decisions that are right for you and your baby. Five X More also has powerful, free resources too. We see you. We stand with you. And we won’t stop until maternity care is equal, and safe, for all. Read our full response 🔗 https://lnkd.in/evGVvKVB #NCTCharity #BlackMEReport #ForEveryParent

I'm very pleased to be with Five X More this morning to hear directly about the powerful and sobering findings from their latest 2025 Black Maternity Experiences Report. In short, Black women continue to be ignored, dismissed and denied. Maternity care is still failing Black Women, who continue to feel unsafe, unheard and unsupported. 845 Black women shared their experiences. And whilst Black women reported improvements in their antenatal care, there is persistent and widespread racial discrimination and Black women continue to report being ignored, especially when in pain or distress. Compared to 2022, Black women report entering maternity care more prepared to self-advocate however the necessity of this is a survival strategy and is emotional and exhausting. Poor communication and a lack of empathy persist and key information relating to women's birth rights are not being communicated. The normalisation of substandard care, denied pain relief, the absence of informed consent, persistent biases, failings in culturally competent education, and hospital cultures not learning from serious incidents were shocking to hear. Thank you for such rich and open panel discussions this morning, looking at a diverse range of issues from access to pain management, complaint management, education of healthcare professionals, the importance of compassionate leadership, the quality of the GP postnatal check, and the critical role of health visitors in providing continuity of care in the community. Great to hear from and connect with Clotilde Abe Tinuke Awe Agnes Agyepong Alicia Burnett Ranee Thakar Michelle Peter Debbie Weekes-Bernard Kate Brintworth Tracey MacCormack Wendy Olayiwola BEM, FRSA, FRCM, FNF Scholar, Global health Leader Geeta Nayar Charles Kwaku-Odoi DL MFPH Nikki Wilson #FiveXMore #BlackMEReport #BlackMaternalHealth

Want to help lead real change for new parents? 💥 NCT’s Board of Trustees are elected by our members – ordinary parents, just like you. Become a member today, and run to become one of our next trustees 💚 If you want every parent to feel connected, confident and safe, we want to hear from you! We're building a Board that truly reflects the diverse families we support, we especially want to hear from you if you’re: under 35, solo parents, and those from Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse backgrounds/communities. Lived experience matters, and we want yours at the table. 📆 Get in touch by 25th July 2025 Read our Candidate Pack 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gp72KM-H #NCTCharity #ForEveryParent #Trustee #Volunteer

A powerful day at the The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Maternity & Neonatal Summit Today I was at the Royal College of Midwives' Summit to hear directly from Secretary of State, The Rt. Hon. Wes Streeting MP, about his plans for sorting out our NHS #maternity and #neonatal services.   With excellent chairing by Shaun Lintern, Wes spoke candidly about his personal motivation to transform the safety and experience of maternity and neonatal care. His words struck a chord: describing his recent listening sessions with bereaved parents as both galvanising and radicalising.   What’s clear: this government sees change as urgent.   Wes Streeting outlined a bold vision for the rapid review announced recently, likening it to a “Darzi-style” system-wide diagnostic. His description? Paced, sharp, transparent, and evidence-based. And notably, he signalled his intent to Chair the taskforce himself, a rare move that signals high-level accountability.   Other key takeaways from his speech: > A national public inquiry is unlikely, but further Trust-level investigations, including in Leeds, Oxford, and Sussex, remain on the table. > There was open recognition of the urgent need for investment in both the maternity workforce and estate. While funding levels weren’t confirmed, the intent was clear. > The investigation will leave 'no stone unturned' and may look at how policy initiatives have shaped culture and practices. > Conversations with bereaved families are ongoing and central to shaping the response and the future work of the taskforce. Today’s summit wasn’t just another policy event, it brought together so many professionals, partners and stakeholders who care deeply about safety, equity, compassion and women and families’ experiences… there was quiet optimism throughout the day, momentum is building, it could mark a turning point. It was great to connect with a diverse range of maternity stakeholders and leaders today, including Sandra Igwe MBA, Clea Harmer, Edward Morris CBE, Nicky de Beer, Theo Clarke, Jane Plumb MBE FRCOG, Ranee Thakar, Marian Holliday, Karen Jewell, Michelle Welsh MP, Sir Jeremy Hunt MP, Alison Wright Mary Dixon-Woods Jo Tanner and Judy Dyos. Thank you to Joanna Corfield and Janie Pengilly for joining me at today's event and sharing more about our work and commitments at NCT Charity.

I'm not the most prolific of posters, however this week I wanted to publicly thank Dr Yusuf Shittu MBBS MSc MRCGP and Dr. Nimat Oyeniyi-Shittu, MD of MamaDoc for their fantastic support in creating content about the postnatal check-up with a GP alongside NCT Charity. This collaboration has been a long time in the making and I am so glad we got this over the line as it matters so much that women and birthing parents can get the most out of their postnatal check up from both a physical and wellbeing perspective. The finished video is just fabulous and will take just 3-4mins of your time to watch, for further information head to the NCT website: nct.org.uk. https://lnkd.in/etZ6DyaW https://lnkd.in/eFdUJbfn

Want to help lead real change for new parents? 💥 NCT’s Board of Trustees are elected by our members – ordinary parents, just like you. Become a member today, and run to become one of our next trustees 💚 If you want every parent to feel connected, confident and safe, we want to hear from you! We're building a Board that truly reflects the diverse families we support, we especially want to hear from you if you’re: under 35, solo parents, and those from Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse backgrounds/communities. Lived experience matters, and we want yours at the table. 📆 Get in touch by 25th July 2025 Read our Candidate Pack 🔗 https://lnkd.in/gp72KM-H #NCTCharity #ForEveryParent #Trustee #Volunteer

The NHS 10-Year Plan has officially been launched - a detailed and ambitious 168-page blueprint for transforming healthcare in England. Early speculation suggested the plan might avoid naming specific priority areas, so I’m encouraged to see maternity services featured, however does the plan go far enough in recognising that maternity care is not just a clinical matter, its central to our societal vision for improved, long-term public health.