A midwife from Lancashire Teaching Hospitals has won a prestigious award from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) for the standard of personalised care she provides to bereaved families after a pregnancy loss.
The award recognises excellence in bereavement care provision by maternity staff for women and their families when a baby dies.
Claire Braithwaite, described as “an angel in human form”, offers families the opportunity to make meaningful and healing memories through an individualised plan. She organises a team to take professional quality photographs of babies and their families, and then actively encourages them to celebrate and acknowledge their baby. Staff are also encouraged to remember to congratulate them on the birth of their baby, however tragic the situation.
Siblings, grandparents and close friends are urged to visit the Butterfly bereavement suite to be together, support each other, meet the baby and make restorative memories. Taking the baby to the mortuary in one of two available prams chosen by the family or going for a walk accompanied by the bereavement midwife to the duck pond in the hospital grounds are examples of personalised experiences that families have chosen following personal care planning.
At the awards ceremony in London on 18 October, the RCM’s Chief Executive, Gill Walton, said: “Claire works above and beyond her job description and truly encompasses the RCM’s values.
“Pregnancy loss and bereavement care is an ongoing and continuous process that does not have a fixed conclusion or end point. Claire is committed to acknowledging baby loss because there are no second chances to get this right.”
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.
