A Bradford maternity team is celebrating today after scooping yet another prize for their award-winning Homebirth Workshops for pregnant women throughout the district.

The midwives collected their certificate from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Maternity (APPGM) after being highly commended at the annual Westminster awards as a shining example of including patients in the development and delivery of maternity services.

The APPGM, which is serviced by the National Childbirth Trust, is a cross-party group whose aim is to highlight maternity issues within Parliament and bring together health professionals and service users with politicians. 

The group from Bradford Royal Infirmary were presented with their certificate at the APPGM summer reception on Monday (July 11) at the Terrace Pavilion at the Houses of Parliament by Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health Anne Milton MP.

The reception hosted by Chair of the APPGM, Dr Dan Poulter MP, was attended by 200 guests including MPs, officials from the Department of Health, Belinda Phipps, Chief Executive of NCT, representatives from royal colleges and the NHS workforce and leading health professionals and user representatives from maternity services across the UK. 

Consultant midwife, Alison Brown, said: “We are delighted that our work has been recognised by the APPGM and to receive yet another award for our homebirth workshops, which we are very proud of, is just brilliant.

“This accolade reflects the commitment of local women and their partners, who after having given birth at home, are happy to share their experiences so that others can learn from their amazing stories. 

“We value our partnerships with families in the city, and the home birth workshops have demonstrated that a collaboration between users and providers of services can really work.”

In January the team scooped a major award when they picked up one of the UK’s top midwifery prizes when they won a prestigious Royal College of Midwives (RCM) award for the workshops. 

The home birth sessions involved discussions about the practical aspects of home births and provided prospective mums, dads, partners, and birth supporters with all the information and advice that they would need about home birth.

Dr Dan Poulter MP, Chair of the APPGM and member of the House of Commons Health Select Committee, said: “It is important that high quality frontline NHS work in maternity care is properly recognised, and these awards help to highlight the contributions of a number of healthcare workers to improving women’s care and experience of pregnancy and childbirth.”

Belinda Phipps, Chief Executive of NCT who are sponsoring the awards said: “These are all excellent examples of what can be achieved through committed staff, focused work and innovation in services, and we hope they will act as an inspiration to other Trusts around the country.”