Four maternity support workers from Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (LTHT) have been recognised with Chief Midwifery Officer awards for their service to maternity support worker excellence.
At a surprise awards ceremony at St James’s Hospital, they were presented with their awards by Rabina Tindale, LTHT Chief Nurse and Tracey Cooper, Regional Chief Midwife. They are the first Maternity Support Workers in West Yorkshire to receive these prestigious awards.
Kalliste Thomson works alongside specialist midwives and doctors in the specialist preterm team. She received the ‘commitment to quality of care’ award for providing exemplary emotional support to her patients, acting as an advocate and striving to allay their fears during consultations and operations. Patients under the care of the preterm team are often highly anxious and still grieving from previous losses so Kalliste works to understand their pregnancy history so they don’t need to re-tell their story. She is proactive in giving advice to promote the best outcomes for families including supporting patients with expressing maternal breastmilk when their preterm babies are born.
Sue Baron works in the Rothwell community team and she was recognised for her contribution to exemplary maternity care with the ‘compassion’ award. She has a wealth of experience and consistently goes above and beyond, taking the time to ensure families feel listened to and able to make informed choices about infant feeding and preparation for parenthood. Her cheerful disposition makes her a delight to work with and this is reiterated by the positive feedback that she consistently receives.
Nicola Smith and Lucy Brown work in the Gestational Diabetes team and they received the ‘working together for patients’ award. Nicola and Lucy ensure patients are confident in managing their gestational diabetes and optimising their health during pregnancy. They provide education sessions and consistently go above and beyond to phone and check in with patients, taking a personalised approach and ensuring extra support is available at appointments. Nicola and Lucy also ensure the team have the data they need to evaluate care and interventions which is pivotal in helping the service develop to meet the needs of the local population.
Rebecca Musgrave, Head of Midwifery at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “We are delighted that Kalliste, Sue, Nicola and Lucy have been recognised with awards for the dedication they show to the families they care for. We are proud to have them as part of our team and I would like to say a huge thank you to them for their continued hard work across our maternity service.
The awards have been developed to reward the significant and outstanding contribution made by maternity support workers in England and their exceptional contribution to maternity care.