Supporting Families, Preventing Tragedies

BECOME ONE OF

CHARLEY’S ANGELS

Charley will never read or write,

but you can help make her count.

 

This is Charley. She wasn’t monitored enough during labour and so was born not breathing. The maternity care providers involved panicked and forgot to clear her throat, so the basic resuscitation failed. Charley went without enough oxygen for a total of an hour.

The resulting brain injury has left Charley blind, and incapable of controlling one single muscle in her body. Her brain was so damaged it hasn’t ever grown. Charley can’t sit, or crawl, or move, or see. She never will. Every swallow is a danger. Every day is a painful struggle. She is totally dependant on her parents every minute of every day, and always will be. Born September 2005, Charley remains like a floppy new born baby, only bigger, and will continue to do so until she dies a painful and premature death.

The ‘system’ allowed this to happen by failing Charley:

before – with untested training and supervision levels

during – with a lack of adherance to care standards and ‘safety nets’

after – with a lack of thorough investigation and the non-existence of a robust and reliable accountablility system.

Because the current system only holds records for ‘live’ and ‘dead’ babies, stastistically, Charley’s disabilities don’t even exist. The information available of the babies that die is also sadly lacking.

Charley represents all of the lost and damaged children that have stemmed from the current maternity system – a system that has been the subject of massive alteration in the past 20+ years, and is yet to be fully and independently reviewed for it’s safety.

Transparency is the key. You can help take the blindfold off, so that we can see what’s working within the New Zealand maternity system and what needs to change.  You can help us ensure quality and safety is high on the agenda of the policy makers.

You can help by becoming one of ‘Charley’s Angels

We aim to research and provide maternity related information to New Zealand citizens and government bodies which is evidence-based, and to consistently provide high quality support to families requiring assistance or advice once a maternity related tragedy has occurred.

Your donation will help AIM:

  • Provide support, advice and direction to families who have been adversely affected by our maternity system
  • Research non-biased information, and provide this information to expectant families to help them make truly fully informed choices around their pregnancy, labour, birth and postnatally
  • Be the voice on behalf of all families – past, present and future – to ensure quality and safety in the New Zealand maternity system

All of Charley’s Angels will receive a very special personalised Thank You letter for their contribution – just email us in order to receive.  In addition, donations of $100+ will be acknowledged with a small gift of appreciation – a gorgeous crystal Angel keepsake.

AIM is a registered charitable trust and your donation is tax deductible.  Please contact us to request a receipt.

Thanks for helping us support families and prevent the preventable.

Additional Information

* WE RESPECT YOUR PRIVACY.

* Your details will be held securely in our database and will not be shared with any other organisation

* You can ask us to correct your details at any time, or to have them removed from our database

Red Flags

        RED FLAGS

  • Lack of monitoring
  • “Normalising” the abnormal
  • Lack of action/delay in getting emergency care
  • Going over due date
  • Failure to progress in labour
  • Meconium-stained liquor (waters)
  • Lengthy handover during emergency
  • Inconsistent reporting and documentation
  • Your concerns being ignored

    Click here to read more about common warning signs

Disclaimer:

The content of this website is offered for information purposes only and is not intended in any way to be a substitute for medical advice. It should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem. Always check with your medical practitioner if you have concerns about your condition or treatment. AIM is not responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any form of damages whatsoever resulting from the use (or misuse) of information contained in or implied by the information on this site.

This website contains links to websites operated by third parties. Such links are provided for reference only. AIM does not control such websites and is therefore not responsible for their content.