Jess Phillips MP visits Birmingham Women’s Hospital | News

Jess Phillips MP visits Birmingham Women’s Hospital

Jess Philips visits Birmingham Women's Jess Phillips, local MP and champion of women's health, recently paid Birmingham Women's Hospital a visit. 

Returning to the hospital for the first time since having her two children there, Jess met with CEO Sarah-Jane Marsh to discuss The Big Build  and the Trust's ambition for two new hospitals before meeting some of the Safeguarding, Abortion Care and Menopause teams.

Jess, Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence and Safeguarding, heard about how our highly trained staff recognise and support women in our care who are vulnerable at home. This gave way to interesting discussions around the growth in the number of cases of domestic abuse since COVID-19 and whether this is due to asking the right questions at the right time or whether domestic abuse is generally on the rise. Jess talked about her experiences with members of her own constituency who have shared their stories of domestic abuse and also heard some of the positive anecdotal feedback received by the Safeguarding team. 

Staff from the Abortion Care service then spoke with Jess about our specialist complex abortion skills and the rising number of women we care for. Birmingham Women's Hospital is one of five national centres to specialise in what the team describes as 'one of the most challenging and vulnerable services there is', seeing and caring for women from all over the country. Discussions in this area included the domestic situations surrounding the medical complexity of these women and the contributing factors of mental health and alcohol and drug abuse. 

CEO of Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, Sarah-Jane Marsh, said: 

"We were delighted that Jess was able to visit the Women's Hospital and see for herself some of the incredible work that goes on behind the scenes. 

"As well as an opportunity to learn more about The Big Build and our future ambition for two new hospitals, Jess also got to hear first-hand from those who work in our Safeguarding, Menopause and Abortion Care teams about how they ensure our women get the best possible support and care, often in very challenging circumstances.

"Conversations were engaging and informative and the staff involved very much appreciated her knowledge and enthusiasm as well as her personal stories. We look forward to welcoming Jess back to the Women's Hospital very soon."

Discussions also touched upon menopause and how important this service is in supporting women of all ages, with Jess expressing an interest in returning to the Women's Hospital at a later date to discuss the topic in more detail. 

Speaking about the visit, Jess, MP for Birmingham Yardley, said: 

"It was a total pleasure to visit the hospital, especially whilst not in labour myself! I was touched to meet such passionate staff who are working harder and harder, dealing with more and more vulnerable women who are facing violence and abuse. 

"It was also great to see such dedicated professionals helping the most vulnerable cases of women who are pregnant in both happy and sad circumstances. Thank you for having me and showing me the wonderful work you do."

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