Midwife of the Year
Winner
Laura Walton: King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Laura is an incredible midwife, who has gone above and beyond to ensure women and birthing people are supported in a maternity service that is trauma informed and ofers individualised care. She has started many support groups and inspires others by sharing how she did this. In addition, she has achieved additional support by presenting at multiple events and to the UK’s perinatal mental health midwives forum. Suicide remains the leading cause of maternal death for women and birthing people, and Laura is working tirelessly to ensure all are signposted to support through a variety of services. Kind, caring, accessible and responsive, she progressed from being a midwife in a team that cares for women with serious mental illness to being its leader.
Finalists
Joyce Adu-Amankwah: St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Joyce is relentless in her dedication to
ensuring the safety of expectant
families. Her work in haemoglobinopathy
has been outstanding and her skill when
dealing with emergencies is evident.
Visualising potential in herself and
others, she has dedicated time to share
her wealth of knowledge through
webinars and study days. She is greatly
admired by colleagues and the families
for whom she cares alike.
Rachel Croll: Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Having created the role of trauma-
informed midwife in the maternal mental
health service, Rachel has delevoped it
to become an integral part of the
service. With her specialist knowledge
and experience, and her compassionate
nature, she has proved an asset for both
professionals and clients. Women feel
supported, listened to and cared for,
which improves outcomes for them and
their babies.
Anna Croot: The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust
Anna has single-handedly transformed
the way in which the wellbeing of the
foetus is interpreted in the trust. She
recognised and researched the benefits
of using a physiological approach to
evaluate the foetal heart and nervous
system and reduce the incidence of
hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy in
newborns. She developed guidelines and
training for staff, while keeping families’
and service user experience at the fore.
Natasha McCormack: The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust
Natasha is an exceptional midwife with a
passion for public health. Her role
initially was as a smoking cessation lead,
but she transformed it to encompass
public health as a whole. An excellent
teacher, she has led the way in terms of
offering support and advice, not only to
women and pregnant people, but also to
her peers locally and across the
integrated care system.
Kate Raney: University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
For more than two years, Kate has been
dedicated to improving the experience
of women and families undergoing
Caesarean birth under general
anaesthetic. She has developed
invaluable resources for these families,
presented to key stakeholders, secured
hospital charity funding and regularly
promotes the project through maternity,
research and psychology updates –
much of which has been done in her
own time.
Gail Roberts: Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust
Gail is an inspirational midwife, who
coordinates a very busy birth centre. The
care she delivers is outstanding and she
always puts the women in her care first,
ensuring she advocates for them and
their babies. Alongside that, she gels
with all members of the multidisciplinary
team and is an excellent team leader.
She is supportive of more-junior
members of staff, always willing to teach
and instils confidence in her team.