The important work of midwives based in west Suffolk has been celebrated at a special event.
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust (WSFT) has held its annual midwifery awards, which sees colleagues nominate each other to recognise excellence in three categories.
Hosted in the Bury St Edmunds hospital itself at the end of 2018, midwives were invited to bring their families along to celebrate their achievements, with more than 50 people in attendance.
The award categories are midwife of the year, support worker of the year and student midwife of the year.
The midwife of the year award was presented to Derinda Nitsche for always seeking to “deliver excellent care” and for supporting the implementation of a new group antenatal clinic, with one of her colleagues commenting that “her energy and enthusiasm continue to inspire us”.
The support worker of the year award was given to Julia Ziskova, described by her colleagues as “so helpful, cheerful, hardworking, caring and willing to learn”.
And the student midwife of the year award was taken home by Amy Gilbert for her “outstanding clinical knowledge” and “caring and communicative approach to looking after women and families”.
The annual awards are held in memory of Hannah Seeley, an “exemplary” midwife who worked at West Suffolk Hospital and passed away in a road traffic accident in 2012.
Lynne Saunders, head of midwifery at WSFT, said: “I am so proud of all our midwives; we received so many strong, inspirational nominations that attest to the quality of care on offer in our department.
“However, the three winners in question really do embody our trust values and are shining examples of the talented and caring staff our NHS can be proud of. I would like to thank them for the important work they do to support our new parents and families, day in day out.”
Recently WSFT’s maternity service launched Birth Reflections, a confidential service offered by midwives to ensure parents can discuss their birth experience after the initial weeks of new parenthood. Last year the trust’s maternity service was awarded the internationally-recognised Baby Friendly Award, founded by Unicef (United Nations Children’s Fund) and the World Health Organisation.
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