The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) celebrated International Day of the Midwife (IDM) yesterday (5 May) by recognising its dedicated midwifery workforce and honouring three outstanding midwives with prestigious Chief Midwifery Officer (CMidO) Silver Awards.
This year’s IDM theme, ‘One Million More Midwives’, highlights the importance of strengthening the global midwifery workforce to ensure safe, high-quality maternity care for all.
As part of PAHT’s local IDM celebrations, CMidO for England, Kate Brintworth, joined colleagues to personally present the national awards, which shine a spotlight on Midwives and Maternity Support Workers who demonstrate excellence in clinical practice, leadership, patient experience and service improvement.
Laura Mercer, Fetal Medicine Midwife, and Kate Boxall, Bereavement Midwife, have received a joint award following a service user nomination recognising their compassion, advocacy and specialist support for families experiencing pregnancy loss and bereavement. They were praised for providing exceptional emotional and clinical care during challenging circumstances.
Gertrude (Trudy) Ziwewe, Interim Labour Ward Coordinator, has also received a CMidO Silver Award after being nominated by a service user for her compassionate leadership, informed care and unwavering support during bereavement and recovery.
Kate Brintworth, CMidO for England, said: “International Day of the Midwife is an important opportunity to recognise the extraordinary contribution midwives like Laura, Kate and Trudy, and our student midwives, make every day.
“Laura, Kate and Trudy demonstrate compassion, professionalism and dedication, which is evident through their deeply moving citations from service users, and I am delighted to recognise their achievements with these well-deserved awards.”
Linda Machakaire, Director of Midwifery and Gynaecology and Assistant Chief Nurse at PAHT, said: “Today we proudly celebrate all our midwives for their continued dedication and the real difference they make to women, babies and families. Congratulations to Laura, Kate and Trudy on this outstanding achievement. You each represent the very best of PAHT, and we are honoured to see your efforts recognised nationally.”