Glasgow midwives win national award for work keeping new mothers and babies together
By RCM on 14 March 2018 RCM Annual Midwifery Awards
Two midwives from Glasgow have won one of the UK’s top midwifery awards for their project to keep mothers and their babies together after birth. Mary Hannaway and Rhona Wilson have scooped the JOHNSON’S® Award for Excellence in Maternity Care at the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Annual Awards.
Mary and Rhona work at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital part of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Their project, working with colleagues in neonatal care, aims to minimise or avoid the separation of new mothers from their babies who need intravenous antibiotics to prevent serious infections.
Before Mary and Rhona’s project mothers and babies were often separated after the birth for a number of hours. Keeping mother and baby together is important for bonding and also supports breastfeeding after the birth.
This project's aim was to treat the babies in the labour ward at the mother’s bedside. This minimises any separation and also reduces admissions to the neonatal unit.
The judges of the award were impressed by this simple but effective way of keeping mothers and babies together. This also improved the collaboaration between maternity and neonatal teams, and it is a model that can be used in other services across the UK.
Mary and Rhona said: “We are thrilled and delighted to have received this prestigious award. This is positive acknowledgment of our team approach to improving the care of our mums and babies and is great recognition for our unit as part of the NHS UK.”
Rebecca Bennett, from award sponsor JOHNSON’S®, said: “We were delighted to support this award once again, which recognises innovation and excellence in maternity care. The team from Greater Glasgow and Clyde identified a specific issue and solved it by working collaboratively, to offer real improvements in the experience of those new mothers. We look forward to further adoption of this model.”
Gill Walton, Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, said: “This is a simple idea that is having a big impact and is improving the care for mothers, babies and their families. I congratulate Mary and Rhona on their award and for their commitment and dedication to the families they care for. It is a well deserved.”
Greater Glasgow and Clyde also picked up another award, with maternity support worker Lisa Allan winning the RCM Members’ Champion Award for her work as a RCM union representative.
For more information on the RCM Annual Awards visit http://www.rcmawards.com/awards-day.
To contact the RCM Media Office and for pictures of the winners call 020 7312 3456, or email media@rcm.org.uk.
Note to editors
JOHNSON’S®, an Alliance Partner with the RCM since 2004 is proud to work with the RCM, supporting midwives in their work to care for mothers and babies. JOHNSON’S® partnership with the RCM is highly valued and we are pleased to be able to sponsor these awards celebrating the hard work and dedication of midwives. For more information about JOHNSON’S®, visit the RCM website at https://www.rcm.org.uk/johnsons
The RCM is the only trade union and professional association dedicated to serving midwifery and the whole midwifery team. We provide workplace advice and support, professional and clinical guidance and information, and learning opportunities with our broad range of events, conferences and online resources. For more information visit the RCM website at https://www.rcm.org.uk/.