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| Tommy's (charity) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Tommy's |
| Type | Charity |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Founder | Victor and Pat Jackson |
| Headquarters | London, England |
| Area served | United Kingdom, Ireland |
| Focus | Research, healthcare, pregnancy, miscarriage, stillbirth |
| Slogan | "For baby loss, for parenthood" |
Tommy's (charity) is a United Kingdom-based charitable organization dedicated to funding and conducting research into miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth, and to providing information and support for people affected by pregnancy loss. Founded by Victor and Pat Jackson in the early 1970s, the charity combines biomedical research, clinical services, data registries and public campaigns to influence practice across hospitals, universities and health services. Tommy's works with academic institutions, healthcare providers and policy bodies to translate research into clinical guidelines, training and patient-facing resources.
Tommy's was established in 1971 after the Jackson family experienced recurrent pregnancy loss, a context similar to the origins of charities such as Marie Stopes International, British Heart Foundation, and Macmillan Cancer Support. Early decades saw Tommy's develop links with hospitals like St George's Hospital and universities such as University of Oxford and King's College London to support clinical audits and small-scale studies. In the 1990s and 2000s the charity expanded its remit to include clinical service funding and national registries, mirroring trends seen at Wellcome Trust and National Institute for Health and Care Research. In the 2010s Tommy's launched high-profile awareness initiatives and established long-term cohort studies partnered with institutions including University College London and Imperial College London. Throughout its history Tommy's has interacted with public bodies such as the National Health Service and regulators including the Care Quality Commission to influence perinatal care.
Tommy's mission combines research funding, clinical support and information provision, comparable in scope to organisations like Save the Children and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Activities include funding laboratory studies at research centres such as Cambridge Biomedical Campus, supporting clinical trials at centres like Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, and producing patient information used in maternity units across the UK and Ireland. The charity runs helplines, digital resources and local support groups similar to services offered by SANDS (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity), and provides training programmes for clinicians parallel to continuing professional development by Royal College of Midwives. Tommy's public messaging often intersects with high-profile health campaigns alongside bodies such as Public Health England and charities like Mind when addressing mental health after pregnancy loss.
Tommy's funds basic science into placental biology at laboratories affiliated with University of Cambridge and University of Edinburgh and supports translational projects at hospitals including Addenbrooke's Hospital and The Rosie Hospital. The charity established a pregnancy research centre network that collaborates on multicentre trials similar in scale to initiatives by MRC Clinical Trials Unit and NIHR Clinical Research Network. Tommy's research portfolio includes epidemiological studies using datasets comparable to those curated by Office for National Statistics and prospective cohorts modeled on the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Clinical services funded by Tommy's have informed guideline updates by NICE and practice statements by Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. The organisation also supports genomic and biomarker projects using platforms developed at institutes such as Wellcome Sanger Institute and Francis Crick Institute.
Fundraising combines individual giving, events and legacy income, adopting approaches used by Cancer Research UK and British Red Cross. Tommy's has run awareness campaigns timed with international observances like World Prematurity Day and collaborated on public communications with broadcasters such as BBC and publications including The Guardian and The Telegraph. Mass-participation fundraising events reflect models similar to London Marathon partnerships and local community events mirror those run by Rotary International. Campaigns have included calls for improved maternity bereavement care that have been reported in national media and debated alongside parliamentary inquiries involving members of House of Commons and House of Lords.
Tommy's operates through formal and informal partnerships with universities such as University of Manchester, University of Glasgow and Queen Mary University of London, and clinical networks across trusts like Barts Health NHS Trust. International collaborations link Tommy's with research centres in Ireland, United States, and Australia, echoing cooperative frameworks used by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-supported perinatal consortia. The charity engages with professional bodies including Royal College of Midwives, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and British Association of Perinatal Medicine to influence training and standards, and works with patient groups such as SANDS (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity), Tomorrows Family and regional support organisations.
Tommy's is governed by a board of trustees drawn from clinical, academic and charity sectors, similar to governance structures at King's Fund and Charity Commission for England and Wales-regulated organisations. Funding streams include voluntary donations, legacies, grants from trusts and foundations like Wellcome Trust and competitive awards from bodies such as Medical Research Council. The charity's financial reporting follows standards applied to non-profits registered with the Charity Commission and interacts with auditors and regulators comparable to firms that advise Big Four accounting firms on charity accounts. Senior leadership liaises with NHS commissioners and academic leads to align research investment with service needs.
Tommy's has contributed to practice change through funded trials, guideline influence and training that have affected care at trusts including Guy's and St Thomas' and University Hospitals Birmingham. Its research outputs have been cited in policy documents by NICE and in academic journals such as The Lancet and BMJ. Controversies have arisen, as with many medical charities, over prioritisation of funding, the balance between research and service delivery, and tensions with other advocacy groups including SANDS (Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity over messaging and commissioning decisions. Debates have also surfaced about data governance in cohort studies, echoing wider discussions involving UK Biobank and regulatory frameworks under General Data Protection Regulation-related policy. Overall, Tommy's remains a significant actor in UK perinatal research and bereavement support, interacting with a broad ecosystem of hospitals, universities and policy institutions.
Category:Charities based in the United Kingdom Category:Health charities in the United Kingdom