By Anna Whittaker, Local Democracy Reporter
The director of communications at the Trust that runs the Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital has resigned after blocking the Twitter accounts of parents whose babies have died in the Trust’s care.
Tiffany Jones was suspended in August 2022 by Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) after a number of parents discovered they had been blocked by her.
Ms Jones, the former director of communications and engagement at the Trust, had apologised and deleted her Twitter account.
The account profile displayed Ms Jones’ job title and tagged the Trust before it was deleted.
“I apologise wholeheartedly for the upset my decision to block some individuals from my personal Twitter account may have unintentionally caused”, Ms Jones said on August 18.
NUH’s maternity services are rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which has also criticised the Trust’s culture and leadership.
The news of Ms Jones’ resignation was announced in an NUH weekly newsletter sent out to staff on December 13.
Anthony May, chief executive at NUH, said: “Tiffany has made the decision to resign from her role as director of communications.
“We can confirm that no disciplinary investigation or action was taken against Tiffany.
“We would like to thank her for her contributions to the organisation since she joined in 2019, such as our value-based awards programme, work on the well-led improvement programme and bringing ‘24 Hours in A&E’ to Nottingham.
“We wish Tiffany the best for the future.”
NUH said it will begin the recruitment process for a permanent replacement in the New Year.
In the meantime, Jack Adlam will continue as acting director of communications.
Jack and Sarah Hawkins, whose baby Harriet died at Nottingham City Hospital in 2016, found out on August 18 they were blocked by Tiffany’s Twitter account.
At the time, they told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We have never Tweeted her or direct messaged her, so it’s completely random.
“Considering her job as director of communications, to block bereaved parents is completely confusing and wrong.
“She is a mouthpiece for the organisation so this is our concern – that the culture of NUH is to block us out.”
