MARVELLOUS midwives working across Warrington and Halton hospitals have been honoured with a prestigious award.

The maternity team at Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust earned the regional Nursing and Midwifery Award at the NHS Parliamentary Awards.

The annual ceremony was launched in 2018 to celebrate the NHS’ 70th birthday, and it recognises the outstanding contribution of staff, volunteers and others working across the health and care sector.

More than a hundred nominations across the ten categories were submitted in the north west by more than 50 MPs, with Warrington and Halton among the winners.

Midwives were recognised for its ‘better births every time through 100 per cent continuity of carer project.

The trust became the first in England to achieve 100 per cent continuity of carer for all births – positively impacting nearly 3,000 women and their babies and families since then.

Midwives have moved out of GP surgeries and women are seen in the communities where they live, with a named midwife and measures in place across all pathways to ensure continuity is maintained.

Five mixed-risk teams have been launched and are delivering better outcomes every time.

This is critical for their local communities, where they know that babies born to mothers in the most deprived quintile have a 30 per cent increased risk of neonatal mortality, and the gap between the most deprived and the least deprived quintiles is widening.

Ailsa Gaskill-Jones, deputy head of midwifery at Warrington and Halton hospitals, said: “We are incredibly proud to have been shortlisted for this award.

“Continuity of carer is at the heart of how we work, so to have this recognised is fantastic for the whole team who have worked so hard to implement the project.

“We have gone from a very low base in 2020 to 100 per cent of women within the Warrington and Halton footprint now booked onto a continuity pathway which includes antenatal, birth and postnatal care.

“We have much we still want to do to hone and perfect our model of care, and being shortlisted for this award will definitely provide us with the energy and enthusiasm to continue to move our project forward.”

A spokesman for NHS England and NHS Improvement in the north west added: “We were so impressed by the high standard of all the entries from the north west this year.

“Our regional judging panel found choosing the champions, amongst more than 100 excellent nominations, very difficult.

“We want to wish those representing the north west the best of luck at the NHS Parliamentary Awards ceremony.”