Midwifery staff take delivery of two top awards
A midwifery team has won two prestigious regional awards for the care they have given to pregnant women and new mums.
Hardworking Southend Hospital midwives scooped the Team of the Year Regional Midwife Award and a Broomfield Hospital midwife has taken home the East of England Chief Midwife Award for innovation in maternity care in the East of England Chief Midwife Awards.
The community team won their award for the home births service they provided to the community during the pandemic. Many mums were anxious about coming into hospital, so having a home birth helped reduce those fears.
Paula Hollis, head of midwifery and gynaecology at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The Community Midwifery team has kept the needs of the women at the very centre of their care throughout the past 20 months, while enhancing the safety of the mums and babies they have looked after.”
The second award for innovation was taken home by Annabel Petrus, a specialist midwife for perineal health. She works with women who have suffered with an injury to the anal sphincter muscle during childbirth.
Known as obstetric anal sphincter injury, it can lead to complications, such as anal and urinary incontinence, and can severely affect a woman’s physical and mental health.
Annabel said: “I’m very honoured to have received this award, it means even more to me knowing I was nominated by my colleagues. I was very moved and was genuinely shocked to have won.”