Medway trust’s maternity team win Royal College of Midwives Award
By RCM on 09 March 2017 Johnson’s® RCM Annual Midwifery Awards
Medway NHS Foundation Trust’s fantastic maternity team has won the prestigious JOHNSON’S® Award for Excellence in Maternity Care from the Royal College of Midwives.
The team have won for their outstanding achievement in reducing third and fourth degree tears in women during childbirth from a national average of almost 6% to just 1%. This great stride has been accomplished through the introduction of “STOMP” - a prevention method designed in its entirety by the team at Medway. The method focusses on position, speed and coaching techniques during childbirth, reducing both the amount and severity of injuries that women can face.
The innovative techniques has even greater benefits associated; the emotional and psychological trauma of severe tearing can have a devastating impact on a woman’s independence, self-confidence and relationships with both her child and her partner. Providing mothers with the best chance of having a positive birthing experience safeguards women from enduring both emotional and physical trauma and reduces the need for a caesarean in subsequent pregnancies.
Dot Smith, Head of Midwifery and Gynaecology at Medway NHS Foundation Trust said:
“The team and I feel extremely honoured to be recognised by the Royal College of Midwives for such a prestigious award. Most important of all, the award honours and represents all the women who have been able to have a greater quality of life since the programme was introduced. I am very proud of the maternity team for their hard work and dedication in reducing the rates of child birth injury to below the national average; this is a great achievement for both the team and the field of maternity care.”
Cathy Warwick, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Midwives, said:
“Winning an award is a wonderful achievement and I offer my congratulations to Dot Smith, Maya Basu and the whole team at Medway. This winning entry shows just what can be achieved by midwives and their colleagues working together. This has led to a better service for women, babies and their families. This dedication, innovation and determination will help maternity services everywhere to deliver safer, better and continually improving care.”
Rebecca Bennett, Skincare Consultant at JOHNSON’S®, said: ““Johnson & Johnson are delighted to sponsor this award and send many congratulations to the worthy winners. Their entry matched and exceeded all the criteria for Excellence in Maternity Care, and represents a real opportunity for service improvement.”
Dot Smith and Consultant, Maya Basu were presented with the award at the Royal College of Midwives Annual Midwifery Awards at a ceremony in The Brewery, London on the 7th March 2017. The ceremony was hosted by journalist and broadcaster Natasha Kaplinski.
Notes to Editors:
The service is also being recognised and adopted nationally and internationally. It has been used as a model of good practice by the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and also in RCM guidance for midwives. The STOMP initiative has also been published in the European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Reproductive Biology.
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
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To contact Medway NHS Foundation Trust Press Office please contact Harinder Rai on 01634 833962 or hari.rai@nhs.net
Medway NHS Foundation Trust serves a population of more than 400,000 in Medway and Swale, receives more than 110,000 visits to its Emergency Department, delivers around 5,000 babies and undertakes 30,000 operations each year.
To contact the RCM Press Office call 020 7312 3456 or email pressofficer@rcm.org.uk.
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/.