Tommy’s – a UK’s charity funding pregnancy research – is launching a new strategy to guide its next decade of work, with a new vision and goals to grow research, improve maternity care, tackle inequities, and mobilise for change.
Published on Wednesday 10 May 2023, the Tommy’s Strategy sets a clear vision for the charity as it moves into its fourth decade: ‘To stop the heartbreak and devastation of baby loss and make pregnancy and birth safe – for everyone.’
In 1992 Tommy’s was founded in a hospital cupboard by 2 obstetricians determined to find answers to the problem of premature birth.
As the charity grew, its mission expanded too. Tommy’s has worked tirelessly to find the answers to reduce miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth by leading ground–breaking research, improving maternity care for all.
Huge progress has been made in researching causes of pregnancy complications and baby loss and funding new tests and treatments to stop them happening. But there is still much more to be done.
The new Tommy’s Strategy sets out 4 overarching goals that will help the charity drive change, and explains how each will help achieve it:
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Grow evidence, because baby loss and pregnancy complications aren’t ‘just one of those things’. Tommy’s will fund research to find evidence that stops pregnancy complications and saves babies’ lives.
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Improve care, because everyone should be provided with the best care and support. Tommy’s will work to make sure good, evidence-based care is available to all throughout their pregnancy journey.
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Tackle inequities, because everyone deserves the same opportunities for a healthy pregnancy and birth. Tommy’s will partner with communities and experts to reduce health disparities for those most at risk from pregnancy complications and baby loss.
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Mobilise for change, because together, we will make pregnancy safer and save babies’ lives. Tommy’s will build and nurture a passionate supporter community, bring people together and use our collective voices and diverse experiences to make effective progress with a greater impact for all.
Tommy’s Chief Executive Kath Abrahams says: “Our biggest learning over the past 5 years is that some groups of people continue to experience the poorest outcomes in pregnancy and birth, and this gap is increasing. We’ve understood it’s not about equality – giving everyone the same thing – but that we need to drive towards equity in maternity care. This means giving the right people the right care and support at the right time. And we believe the best way to do this is to work in partnership with communities and organisations who truly understand the issues marginalised groups face.
“Because we are truly committed to playing our part in driving change, our new strategy has tackling inequities at its heart, running through everything we do and as an explicit organisational goal for the first time. We’re pleased to launch our new strategy that will guide every aspect of our work over the next decade. It’s inclusive, it’s designed to be courageous, and it defines who we are as an organisation.
“Right now, 1 in 4 pregnancies end in loss during pregnancy or birth and 53,000 babies are born early every year. We think that’s unacceptable, and we are here to change that.”
The strategy has been developed over 2023 through conversations with parents who have lived experience of inequitable care experiences, Tommy’s supporters, researchers, clinical practitioners, people within key partner organisations, Tommy’s staff and trustees.
The Tommy’s Strategy launches on 10 March 2023 and is available to download as a PDF and online, accompanied by an awareness campaign including supporter newsletters, videos produced with staff and supporters, and social media activity under the hashtag #TogetherWeCan. Twitter: @tommys / Instagram: @tommys.
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