By Anna Whittaker, Local Democracy Reporter
The director of communications at Nottingham University Hospitals Trust has been suspended after she blocked the Twitter accounts of parents whose babies have died in the care of the trust.
Tiffany Jones had apologised and deleted her Twitter account after a number of parents discovered they had been blocked by her on August 18.
On August 19, the trust, which runs the Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital, said Ms Jones had been suspended. It is not clear how long her suspension will last.
Ms Jones, Director of Communications and Engagement at the trust, who is also a board member at the organisation, previously “apologised wholeheartedly” for the upset caused.
One of the parents who was blocked, Kimberley Errington, whose baby Teddy died in November 2020, said she was “shocked and utterly dismayed” at “yet another unbelievable blunder” involving the trust.
She tweeted to say she had noticed she had been blocked by Ms Jones on Thursday evening (Aug 18). Some other parents then also tweeted that they had been blocked.
It comes as senior midwife Donna Ockenden is due to start a review of the trust’s maternity units next month.
NUH’s maternity services are ‘rated’ inadequate by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which has also criticised the trust’s culture and leadership.
An NUH spokesperson said: “We offer our sincere apologies for the upset caused. We know the devastation caused to families when we have not delivered the best care in our maternity service and we are committed to engaging with and listening to families in order to make the necessary improvements. The Director of Communications has been suspended.”
Ms Jones’ account profile displayed her job title and tagged the trust before it was deleted.
NUH’s social media policy, approved in 2019, covers both work and personal accounts – and says social media users must not “criticise or cause embarrassment to the Trust, its patients, healthcare partners, other stakeholders or staff in a public post”.
Ms Errington, whose baby Teddy died after “undoubted failings” by healthcare professionals, said: “I want the hospital and their senior staff to start accepting their mistakes and shortcomings, learn from them and stop repeating them.
“Listen, learn, engage, own and then act; with compassion and empathy.”
Jack and Sarah Hawkins, whose baby Harriet died at Nottingham City Hospital in 2016, were also blocked by the account.
Mrs Hawkins told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I was on Twitter and I didn’t recognise the name of the account, so I clicked on it and saw I was blocked.
“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.”
“I apologise wholeheartedly for the upset my decision to block some individuals from my personal Twitter account may have unintentionally caused”, Ms Jones wrote on August 18.
She added: “I have reflected and made the decision to delete my Twitter account.”
