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Parents Turn Tragedy into Compassion Training
8 Oct
Summary
- Parents transformed their grief into a compassion training program.
- Poppy's death was preventable due to lack of monitoring.
- The NHS trust is rolling out training to 8,000 staff.
When Poppy Russell died just 12 hours after birth in April 2021, her parents, Neil and Katie, faced profound grief compounded by the hospital trust's initial blame. An inquest later revealed Poppy's death was preventable, and that signs of her distress had been missed due to inadequate monitoring during labor.
The Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust (SaTH) admitted failings and apologized, initiating improvements to its maternity services. Inspired by a moment of compassion from a midwife even amidst their tragedy, Neil and Katie developed Poppy's Promise.
This initiative is built on four core principles: Compassion, Acknowledgement, Respect, and Empowerment. It emphasizes treating patients as individuals and involves them in their own care journey. The trust is now implementing Poppy's Promise across all 8,000 of its staff, integrating it into recruitment and training.
This program aims to embed compassionate care throughout the NHS, with other organizations and universities also expressing interest in adopting Poppy's Promise into their teaching curricula.
