Maternity Support Workers celebrated at prestigious Nursing and Midwifery Conference

They were handed their certificates at the Humber and North Yorkshire Nursing and Midwifery Conference, last month.

The Maternity Support Worker qualification was designed and developed by professionals and clinicians across Humber and North Yorkshire to meet the needs of the local maternity workforce.

The first course at the University of Hull commenced in September 2023 and was purposely designed to empower MSWs. These dedicated individuals have undergone extensive education, paired with hands-on experience which will equip them with the skills necessary to provide exceptional support to midwives and healthcare teams, as well as compassionate care to mothers and their newborn babies.

The certificates were awarded to the first cohort of fully qualified MSWs in a ceremony that highlighted their vital contributions to maternal and newborn care and were presented by Sue Symington, the Chair of NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB).

“I was delighted to present the Maternity Support Workers with their certificates,” said Sue. “Their commitment to personal development and excellence in care is commendable. The value of Maternity Support Workers in our maternity services across Humber and North Yorkshire is profound, supporting midwives and transforming lives at the most critical of moments."

Among the MSWs to receive a certificate was Angela Fletcher (pictured below), who shared her thoughts on the journey.

“We were the first cohort of Maternity Support Workers who did the course at the University of Hull and we loved it," she said. "I wanted to learn more skills to enable me to support midwives more and give more hands-on care.

“I’d highly recommend the course to anyone. I get so much job satisfaction from being able to care for mums right from the beginning of their pregnancy and then care for their babies after birth. Along with midwives, Maternity Support Workers help to make families' journeys positive and I feel like it is a privilege to be there at such an important part of people’s lives.

“We all enjoyed attending the conference and being presented with our certificates, it was nice to be acknowledged for what we have achieved and thanked for our contributions to maternity services. We were all invited up to the front individually and were well looked after on the day. It’s been a great experience.”