Heartbeat: TV fame beckons for midwives

July 17, 2020

Midwives from our Trust received national recognition when they appeared on the BBC’s The One Show which took a detailed look at how they have been hosting maternity clinics at football clubs. Presenter Adrian Chiles and lifelong Baggies fan, headed to The Hawthorns, the home of West Bromwich Albion where some of the sessions for pregnant women and new mums are taking place and interviewed colleagues.

In April’s Heartbeat we shared how the maternity team, led by Louise Wilde, Deputy Director of Midwifery and Community Matron, Cathy Brown set up the clinics at Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion football clubs. Following national media coverage on the story, The One Show producers contacted the Trust to set up an in-depth look at the new venue for care.

The clinics were set up to alleviate anxiety in some women who didn’t want to come into a hospital setting during the coronavirus pandemic. Louise said: “It was a great experience which showcased how our Trust is truly leading the way when it comes to adapting to this very unusual situation that we find ourselves in.

“By moving these clinics to the football clubs we were thinking outside of the box, and I understand other Trusts are now following in our footsteps. Adrian Chiles was very passionate about what we are doing, and he was impressed with the setup – especially as it is his beloved Albion being used as one of the venues.”

After his visit the presenter wrote about his experience in The Guardian: “I left home this week to make a short film for The One Show.

The film I left lockdown to make this week was all about keyworkers – midwives and nurses with Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust.

“Early on in the COVID-19 outbreak, the Trust was concerned that new and expectant mothers were increasingly reluctant to visit clinics and hospitals for check-ups. The call went out for help. West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa football clubs put their hands up, and so it is that the executive boxes at the Hawthorns and Villa Park are ringing incongruously with the sound of babies crying. I’ve been watching West Brom at this ground every other weekend since April 1974, and I’ve heard all manner of wailing and gnashing of teeth there in that time, but never babies crying.

“I was beyond delighted to meet a four day- old boy named Albie, after the club his dad supports and, with awesome serendipity, where Albie was presented for his first post-natal check-up. Babies of supporters of rival teams are also welcome, I should point out.”