Midwives and maternity support workers at University Hospital Wishaw received royal recognition for their work as Her Royal Highness (HRH) The Princess Royal visited their award-winning maternity service.
During her visit, The Princess Royal also formally opened the new alongside midwifery unit.
Her Royal Highness was welcomed on arrival by Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire Lady Haughey CBE, RCM President, Kathryn Gutteridge, RCM’s Director for Scotland, Dr Mary Ross Davie, RCM’s Chief Executive, Gill Walton, and Lyn Clyde Chief Midwife at University Hospital Wishaw.
Dr Mary Ross Davie, Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Director for Scotland, said: “NHS Lanarkshire is an excellent example of a maternity service that has been consistently seeking to improve the service it delivers and they have an engaged, enthusiastic and empowered team of midwives supporting the wider-multi disciplinary team.
“NHS Lanarkshire were also one of five Heath Boards chosen in Scotland to take forward early implementation of the Best Start recommendations, including the implementation of continuity of carer and the development of a system of local delivery of maternity care.
“The positive working culture has undoubtedly been part of the success of Wishaw’s maternity services over the past number of year and the implementation of changes and improvements has resulted in high quality care for women and their babies.”
HRH The Princess Royal, who is patron of the (RCM), met with midwives, MSWs, neonatal midwives and other members of staff from NHS Lanarkshire on Monday (April 30th) during a royal visit.
During the visits HRH The Princess Royal met midwives at the Wishaw’s Early Pregnancy Unit and also viewed their state-of-the-art birthing rooms and training rooms used by student midwives.
In March this year NHS Lanarkshire was named ‘Midwifery Service of the Year’ at the RCM’s Annual Midwifery Awards 2018.
The Maternity team at Wishaw care for women across north and south Lanarkshire and deliver 4,500 babies every year, maternity care is also delivered to approximately another 2,500 women that live within Lanarkshire but choose to deliver in other units nearer to their homes.
Ten midwifery teams provide personalised community care for women with two outlying satellite units offering day care and scanning facilities. Furthermore additional support is offered by specialist midwives in areas such as substance misuse, perinatal and bereavement care.
Neena Mahal DL, Chair of NHS Lanarkshire, said: “We were delighted to welcome Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal to formally open the alongside midwifery unit which gives mums a further choice for place of birth in line with the national Best Start recommendations.
“Our maternity and neonatal service has been a leading light in the Scottish Patient Safety Programme’s Maternity and Child Quality Improvement Collaborative programme. I would like to thank all the maternity and neonatal staff for their sustained effort in providing the highest standard of care to the women and babies.
“I would also like to thank the Royal College of Midwives for their continued support and recognition of the exemplary work of our maternity and neonatal team over the years.”