In a special edition of Soundbites, our Clinical Negligence team’s Amy Fielding meets Peeps relationship officer Penny Harger to learn more about the only UK-based charity dedicated to helping support families affected by hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE).

A lack of oxygen and blood flow to the brain, HIE is a serious brain injury in newborns which can happen to anyone and is impossible to predict. Peeps works to support parents, families and friends of those who have experienced an HIE event.

This episode explores two of the key services provided by Peeps:

• peer support, where HIE parents and families are connected to others who have had a similar experience and can chat on a confidential basis, and
• counselling, made available through Peeps much faster than via the NHS on average and guaranteeing connection to a correctly qualified counsellor.

Penny explains how she became involved at Peeps and the process for first making contact with the charity. This is an invaluable discussion both for those directly or indirectly affected by HIE, and for anybody interested in learning more about the work Peeps does.

Our speaker

Penny is the Relationship Officer for Peeps, and has worked in the NHS since age 16. She had been working as a Pharmacy Technician for 13 years when she had daughter Jessica in 2016 and started their HIE (level three) journey.

“At the time, Peeps didn’t exist, but they became a lifeline to our family once they were up and running, reminding us that we aren’t alone and offering support when needed,” Penny says. “Since then, we’ve become a family of four with the addition of our little boy Benjamin.”

Now a full-time carer, Penny uses her previous career experience within the NHS and life experience as a HIE mum to try to help other HIE families along their journeys.

Previous Stewarts Soundbites episodes

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