Great work of Northants midwives spotlighted at major 2025 conference

The amazing ways local midwives support women, babies and their families, was showcased at a conference held to celebrate the International Day of the Midwife.

The University Hospitals of Northamptonshire event was attended by NHS England’s Chief Midwifery Officer, Kate Brintworth, and Professor Donald Peebles, National Clinical Director for Obstetrics who shared a keynote at the event, and witnessed the achievements of midwifery teams from Kettering and Northampton general hospitals over the last year.

Key work highlighted at the conference included successes within the teams, showcasing of possible career pathways within midwifery, work that is in progress UHN maternity services, sharing of current national research that UHN is participating in, and updates on service improvements including those supporting staff wellbeing.

In addition, the event recognised the achievements of local midwives who have been voted for by their colleagues and patients including Midwife of the Year and My Midwife of the Year.

Director of Midwifery at UHN, Ilene Machiva, said: “Today's event highlighted the incredible efforts of midwifery teams from across the county, showcasing their dedication to enhancing care for families accessing the Maternity Services.

"Much of this work occurs in collaboration with the families using our services, playing a crucial role in shaping safe practices that lead to better outcomes for mothers and their babies.

"It is truly inspiring to witness the passion and creativity of our teams as they continue striving to improve care throughout every step of the birthing journey.

"Additionally, it was a joy to recognise and celebrate some of the most compassionate and outstanding midwives, as nominated by their colleagues and the families they support."

Ilene was recognised at the event for her services to UHN with the Chief Midwifery Officer Silver Award for ‘outstanding service to midwifery’, where she was described as a leading the team with “grace and kindness”.

During the day, two midwifes were presented with a special award that was voted for by maternity service users. The ‘My Midwife of the year’ award was presented for outstanding practice and the way they have supported mothers and birthing people.

A host of other awards were also presented and included Midwife of the year, Leadership Awards, Unsung Hero, Educator, Team, Innovation, Student Midwife and Support Team Member.

NHS England’s Chief Midwifery Officer, Kate Brintworth, who presented some of the awards said:

“It was a pleasure to attend the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire conference in celebration of International Day of the Midwife.

“The teamwork, dedication and enthusiasm of the midwifery teams I met was fantastic to see, as they strive to enhance maternity care.

“It was a huge honour to present awards to some of the winners; not least the Director of Midwifery Ilene Machiva whose calm, compassionate leadership has made such a difference to so many. Their awards show their compassion and commitment to midwifery.”