A “shining star” student midwife from the University of Derby has won the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) prestigious Student Midwife of the Year award for her work as an ambassador for midwifery students.

Kayty Richards, who is neurodiverse and has a young family, was nominated for the award after demonstrating courage in standing up for high standards, improving culture and changing the narrative around student midwives.

She is an excellent role model for current and future students and shows clear leadership qualities, including taking up an opportunity within the Council of Deans student leadership programme and being published in multiple publications in respected journals such as MIDIRS and the Student Midwife Journal and conference presentations.

Her work has also led to her winning the Student Nursing Times Award for Outstanding Achievement to student affairs.

At the awards ceremony in London on 18 October, commenting on Kayty’s leadership skills, the RCM’s Chief Executive, Gill Walton said: “Kayty has demonstrated her vision and leadership from her first year as a student midwife. She established the first midwifery society at her university and became president for two consecutive years.

“She led the society to raise funding for events facilitated for students and midwives from local trusts, including events focusing on mental health and wellbeing, annual conferences and study days. She also ensured that fundraising efforts were charity focused and the society became the university Student Union’s Charitable Champion for 2023.”

Following first-hand experience of discrimination in the workplace, Kayty spoke up and raised her concerns. This resulted in the workplace injecting funds into resources and training for all staff members to ensure authentic culture change.

Emilie Edwards, who nominated Kayty for the award, said: “I can see her influence has been widespread, and it is clear she doesn’t realise the impact of her leadership. She has used her own lived experience to ensure change at every level and is a true role model for students and indeed qualified staff.”

The RCM award, sponsored by Lansinoh, recognises an individual student midwife who makes an outstanding contribution to their future profession and/or the experience of other student midwives through their activism, initiative and leadership.

Sasha Singh, Senior Global Healthcare Marketing Manager at Lansinoh, commented: “Kayty embodies the dedication and leadership that are essential for the future of midwifery. Her commitment to improving student experiences, promoting mental health awareness, and advocating for meaningful change reflects the values we uphold at Lansinoh. We are proud to support this award, recognising students like Kayty who are not only excelling in their studies but are also making a lasting impact on the profession.”

ENDS

To contact the RCM Media Office call 020 7312 3456, or email media@rcm.org.uk

Notes to Editors

• For more information on the RCM awards visit here: https://www.rcmawards.com/
• Individual media releases on each winner or winning team available on request, email media@rcm.org.uk.

About the RCM

The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is the only trade union and professional association dedicated to serving midwifery and the whole midwifery team.  We provide workplace advice and support, professional and clinical guidance, and information, and learning opportunities with our broad range of events, conferences, and online resources. For more information visit the RCM | A professional organisation and trade union dedicated to serving the whole midwifery team.