Heartbeat: Celebrating the work and dedication of our maternity support workers
December 13, 2018
Our organisation took part in the Royal College of Midwives Maternity Support Worker (MSW) Week for the first time this year.
Taking place in November, the week was aimed at raising awareness of MSWs and celebrating the work that they do.
Midwifery Clinical Educator, Olivia Agar explained more: “In order to recognise MSWs as an integral part of the maternity team, the RCM celebrate MSW week on an annual basis. This is first year that our workplace has been involved. As part of our celebrations we hosted a number of events where we invited colleagues to nominate a MSW for good practice (MSW 2018 award), tell us why they love being a MSW and tell us why they love their MSW.”
Over 200 nominations and comments were received with many examples of how our MSWs make a real difference.
Comments included:
“They always prep the beds ready for admissions, always offer to help, very supportive. Feed us toast and tea!”
“Always friendly, polite and welcoming. Spend time listening to the women and value their points of view.”
Olivia added: “These comments demonstrate how lucky we are to have such a dedicated group of colleagues who play an important role in assisting midwives in caring for women and their babies through the vital stages of pregnancy, childbirth and the first few days of birth.”
Heartbeat spoke to Midwife, Pam Casey who added: “The MSWs on M1 are the backbones of this unit. We wouldn’t be able to function or do our jobs to the best of our abilities without them. In my book they’re the unsung heroes really. I couldn’t pick one MSW on M1 that stands out the most – I think they are all amazing. They are a credit to this unit.”
Tayyaba Mumtaz is a MSW who has received a comment about her work saying “Always has a smile on her face even when things are tough.”
We caught up with Tayyaba who told us more about her work. She said: “It’s good to be recognised for all your hard work and to see that people appreciate what you do.
“What I enjoy the most about my role is how we work as part of the team supporting new moms with feeding and changing their babies. Having a baby is a big thing for new moms and we provide support if they are unsure of anything. I enjoy doing bloods and observations on the new-borns and just being part of a good team.”
Katherine Gutteridge, Consultant Midwife and RCM President will select the winner of MSW 2018 at the end of November. Everyone who received a nomination will be awarded with a certificate of commendation.
As part of MSW week colleagues had the opportunity to attend RCM study days. The RCM welcomes support workers (bands 1-4) in maternity including MSWs, HCAs, MAs, community support workers or those in clerical or administration roles into membership and to get more involved in the organisation. You can find out more here https://www.rcm.org.uk/content/msws