An Inspector Calls
Thu 28th Feb 2008 by Ben Palmer.
I had a visit from the VAT Inspector this morning. I got a bit behind with my VAT Returns and they wanted to make sure I wasn't up to no good.
Business has been slow to non existant for the past few years, so it didn't take long and we soon started to talk about what I was doing now. I showed her the first proof of Friday's Child, explained Jessica's trust and gave her a card.
"Oh, I heard about childbed fever on Woman's Hour," she told me, both shocked to hear that Jessica was a victim, fully understanding about my change of direction, and also impressed by my home printed business card.
"Can I have another card, to give to my friend? And do you have a poster? I could ask in the office if I can put one up on the notice board."
I don't have a current poster, the only one I've ever designed was promoting the now closed petition to the Prime Minister, so I've spent the rest of the day designing a new one.
I think it's clear what the message is, I hope it's suitably targetted at Mums, but before I press print, I'd love to know what you think of it. Please leave your thoughts, good or not-so-good, and suggestions in the comments below.
If you have somewhere that you can pin one up I'd love to hear from you as well. When it's fully refined I can make a hi res download available. If anyone knows a friendly (read 'low cost') printer as well, I might get some properly done.
Download the new poster [Link removed 7/3/08 pending redesign]
Update 30/05/08: The new poster and leaflet are now on-line
February 29th, 2008 at 02:45
I think the poster is brilliant and sends out a very clear message of what it is about. It would be great if you could include a download option on your site.
February 29th, 2008 at 10:25
Ben, really like the poster, visually it's very impactful and the message is simple and very clear. I'm from Ireland and had this infection (luckily I was treated early with IV antibiotics but Group A strep wasn't identified as the cause until a week after initial symptoms, I left the hospital on oral antibiotics and was told that it was most likely a urinary tract infection. So I was lucky that I was treated promptly and indeed didn't leave hospital 24 hours post delivery like a lot of women are doing today both in Ireland, UK and also the U.S. I had never heard of Group A strep before, just Group B strep. Neither are routinely tested for here prenatally. I have contacted some of our pregnany and birth websites about your awareness campaign and await their response but I have posted about my experience personally on these forums so that in itself will hopefully create some awareness. I will be talking to our local AIMS (Association for Improvement in Maternit Services)representatives over the next few weeks and will bring your campaign to their attention.
Hope you and your children are doing well. Keep up the good work. I'm really looking forward to the release of your new book also.
Caitriona
March 1st, 2008 at 16:20
I love the poster Ben, it really delivers the message and hopefully will get mums-to-be thinking about what could happen to them, lets just hope none of them need to.
March 1st, 2008 at 20:08
I'm not a fan of the poster Ben - it doesn't actually contain any info on symptoms, no NHS Direct number - no box for a community midwife to put her contact sticker, etc etc.
Sorry to criticise, but to me it's just a poster telling women they might die. This is NOT the message to send out to pregnant women, who worry about Every. Single. Thing. If I saw that poster in the waiting room where I work, i'd remove it. Sorry.
How about something along the lines of - 'would you recognise the signs of childbed fever?'- like the meningitis posters?
Also - do you have code for a button to put on my blog?
March 1st, 2008 at 21:17
IngeniousRose,
Thank you for the thumbs up, and as soon as the design & wording is finalised I will certainly make a proper download available.
Caitriona,
Thank you too for your views. Thank you for taking the message wider as well - I'm sorry to hear that you suffered an infection, but so glad that you received timely treatment. This is how it should always be.
Thank you.
Fiona,
Thank you for leaving your views, and I agree with you about the mums-to-be: none of us wants to lose another friend.
Agatha,
I'm grateful for your views - it is very thought provoking and valuable. What I didn't say, and probably should have, is that I am also working on an accompanying leaflet that answers common misconceptions, lists easy to recognise symptoms and explains much further. I would hope that the two will be displayed together.
I am meeting a senior maternity services doctor at the DoH on Monday, and will be taking both along for her views as well.
The NHS Direct idea is a good one, but I prefer to direct to a GP or failing that A&E. Much like the RCOG and RCM there is no reference to puerperal sepsis or even septicaemia in relation to a pregnant woman on their website, and unless the symptoms are relatively advanced you may well not be directed to '999' by their self help guide - I've tried it! I hope to be able to rectify this.
It is a poster telling mums that they might die, because they might and so far nobody else is saying so. So far Mums (on this thread, by email, other forums and comments on the awareness survey) have universally supported my message, and I feel that this is important.
I'm sorry you'd be inclined to remove the poster - I will take your points on board and have already had some feedback to say that it might be a tiny bit strong to say 'if it gets hold of you'.
However, I have also already had a request for a copy from a GP, to put up in their surgery, which is positive and encouraging.
Incidentally, one common misconception that the leaflet aims to dispel is that childbed fever is somehow a 'dirty' disease - caused by doctors/midwives. This simply isn't the case (anymore).
I'm enormously grateful for the link on your site, and will email you code for a button. (I'll post some code on the website shortly as well, actually)
Many thanks and best wishes
Ben
P.S. Please keep the feedback coming!
March 5th, 2008 at 07:04
I think the design of the poster is great. Listing some symptoms could be good like has already been suggested.
March 5th, 2008 at 08:48
You refer to Childbed Fever but then switch to referring to sepsis. Might be better to use both terms the first time you refer to sepsis (e.g. "The symptoms of Childbed Fever (sepsis) are easy to recognise").
Also I agree it's a good idea to list what the symptoms are on the poster -- someone may see the poster but not go on to check out your website, so that way you'd raise awareness of what to look out for. I don't think you can rely on someone's picking up and reading a leaflet, or that wherever the poster is displayed will have a current stock of leaflets at all times. The poster *itself* is an opportunuty to make sure women know what to look out for and what to do about it.
March 6th, 2008 at 13:58
Good point Leah - the surgeries I work in have about 400 leaflets scattered about - no one looks at them, no one reads them... BUT - with a poster, in a waiting room, you have a captive audience.
March 7th, 2008 at 15:17
We've had some really useful feedback on here and from a group of parents, based on which I've redesigned the poster and the leaflet.
I'm lucky enough to have been able to email them both off for review by an eminent group of doctors, and will make them available for download when I've heard back from them.
Thank you all for your help and comments.