Heartlands Midwife wins 'Who Cares Wins' award

Heartlands Hospital bereavement midwife Nicky Taylor has picked up a prestigious Who Cares Wins award for her incredible work supporting families at the hospital who have lost a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death.

Nicky, who has worked as a midwife at Heartlands for 16 years, won the Best Midwife award at the star-studded ceremony which was hosted by The Sun. Nicky was nominated for her award by Cat and Mike Blewitt from Tamworth, who were under her care at the Eden Suite at Heartlands Hospital following the tragic loss of their triplets Jack, Lottie and Rosie.

The Eden Suite is the specialist bereavement suite at the hospital, where Nicky works to take care of people just like Cat and Mike who have experienced the loss of a baby. Earlier this year, the Charity brought you news of Cat and Mike's incredible fundraising efforts following their experiences on the Eden Suite.

The inspirational couple raised well over £7,000 for the Eden Suite, to help provide an additional CuddleCot for the unit, a specialist piece of equipment which allows parents to spend more time with their baby than would be possible without it.

Speaking to Chris Evans on BBC Radio 2, Nicky said: "I find it the most rewarding job ever. We support women throughout their time in hospital, and help to provide care for families for months after they leave hospital. We encourage families to create memories with their babies in a short space of time. The CuddleCots are such an important part of this.

"Every one of the midwives on the Eden Suite deserves this award. It's not an easy job but we support each other and we have lots of training and support."

Cat and Mike pictured with Nicky on the Eden Suite with a CuddleCot. Picture credit The Sun/PaulTonge

Mike and Cat also spoke on BBC Radio 2, speaking about the experiences they had at Heartlands, and the time that they spent on the Eden Suite. Cat said: "Nicky was like a ray of sunshine coming into our lives, she got us a CuddleCot which cools babies and allows you to spend longer with them. We got to spend four days with Jack, Lottie and Rosie, spend time outside with them and make memories as a family.

"Nicky looked after the babies, looked after me medically, took photos of the babies, took their hand prints and foot prints and helped us create a memory box. We've got memories now that will last a lifetime thanks to Nicky and what she did for us.

"We can look back on the memory boxes and we talk about Jack, Lottie and Rosie every day. We found inner strength thanks to Nicky. We wanted to raise awareness of baby loss, as it's something people find it hard to talk about."

Sian Averill, Fundraising Manager at Heartlands Hospital Charity, said: "Our huge congratulations go to Nicky for picking up this prestigious award. This is a fantastic achievement and is testament to the quality and professionalism of Nicky's care, and the lasting legacy that this leaves with the families she treats.

"The Charity's thanks also go to Cat and Mike for their kind nomination, and for the wonderful gift they have given to families just like them through their fundraising. By speaking about their experiences so bravely, they will be helping others who are going through a similar experience."

You can find out more about how the hospital charity supports patients on the Eden Suite by clicking here.

Nicky, Cat and Mike in the Memory Garden at Heartlands Hospital. Photo credit The Sun/Paul Tonge

Photo at top of article courtesy of The Sun/Dan Charity.