Hinchingbrooke Hospital’s midwifery-led birthing unit has been nominated for a prestigious national award.

Primrose Suite is one of just three units nationwide to be shortlisted for Birth Centre of the Year at the annual MaMa Awards.

The awards are presented at the MaMa Conference - the largest, independent two-day annual conference on maternity care in the UK.

The nomination recognises the outstanding contribution that the Primrose Suite team make in improving the maternity experience for women and their families.

Sarah Grieve, normality lead midwife, who oversees the Primrose Suite, said: “Being shortlisted as birth centre of the year celebrates the amazing job we do in our midwifery led birthing unit (MLBU) here at Hinchingbrooke.

“This is a lovely way to recognise the dedication of all our staff, from our head of midwifery to our care assistants and clerical staff. The success of Primrose Suite is down to their hard work. From the community staff ensuring women are given the correct information at booking appointments to make informed choices about birth place; to the medical staff ensuring that women are on the correct care pathways and encouraging the low risk birthing suite where possible; the staff who work clinically in the unit, supporting women to have the optimum low-risk birth; to the ongoing support from management to strive to make these positive changes.”

Primrose Suite features four self-contained rooms, including a pool room, where we offer women a home-from-home environment but with the security of being in a hospital setting, with the obstetric unit next door. It offers a more holistic approach and views birth as a normal process, rather than a medical event. We support women to make informed choices about their care and encourage them to have the best birth on the day.

The unit was nominated after more than doubling its birth rate in a year and adopting the attitude of promoting normality where possible.

Picture cap: From left to right Ali Williams, senior midwife, Sarah Grieve, senior midwife, Abigail Valenti, midwife, Caroline Burgess, maternity care assistant, Emily Hanks, maternity care assistant, Helen Briars, ward clerk, Cheryl Sinclair, midwife.