Celebrating Maternity Unit Marvels

• Baby Lifeline is thrilled to announce the launch of the 2023 MUM Awards, and wants to hear from families across the UK who have an inspiring story to share.
• NHS maternity professionals work tirelessly to safely deliver maternity care despite the immense strain the workforce is currently under. The UK has a relatively high rate of neonatal mortality compared with other countries – 13 babies a day die either before, during or shortly after birth in the UK – and more needs to be done to improve care and prevent these tragedies.
• Baby Lifeline wants to give an opportunity to showcase stories of when care has been exceptional – to celebrate the hard work of professionals in the NHS and give families a chance to say ‘thank you’.

The UK’s leading maternity safety charity, Baby Lifeline, is relaunching its UK Maternity Unit Marvels (MUM) Awards, to give parents the chance to say thank you to the individuals or the teams who made the birth of their child possible.

There are many examples of exceptional maternity and neonatal care, and to celebrate and showcase these stories, Baby Lifeline would like to invite parents who experienced complications or problems with a pregnancy or birth in the last eight years (babies born between 02 May 2015 and 02 May 2021) to nominate the individuals in maternity teams who looked after them and ensured the survival of the baby, for a MUM Award.

Every day, multi-disciplinary teams give their all to help bring babies into the world safely. Baby Lifeline champions the work of midwives, obstetricians, neonatal doctors and nurses, anaesthetists, GPs and paramedics in the work they do to deliver babies safely and care for mothers and birthing people. These awards will recognise the best in the UK and say thank you to them.

Despite modern advances in medicine and technology, many babies still die in or around childbirth – some needlessly. It is a sad fact that the UK still has a relatively high rate of neonatal (up to 28 days post-birth) mortality compared with many other European countries, with 13 deaths a day. On average more than one mother every week will also die in the UK. Baby Lifeline’s mission is to ensure the healthiest outcome possible from pregnancy and birth – more needs to be done, and these awards will help to celebrate those successes.

David Tennant, Ambassador for Baby Lifeline, said: “I am proud to support Baby Lifeline’s 2023 MUM Awards to celebrate the incredible stories of heroic healthcare professionals who work tirelessly to deliver babies safely, especially when faced with complications that can be very distressing for parents. As a dad of five, I know exactly what this feels like and how important it is to have these wonderful individuals and teams around you during this time. If you have a story you want to tell about the birth of your child, please join me in celebrating the healthcare professionals that helped you by nominating them for an award.”

A star-studded judging panel including Dame Ruth May and Donna Ockenden, will select one winning team from each of the UK’s ten NHS regions, as well as healthcare community winners. An overall, national winning team will then be announced.

The overall winning entry from across the UK will receive a midweek or weekend holiday for up to six people at any of the UK Center Parcs locations. 

Dame Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer for England and Judge of the UK MUM Awards, said: “These awards are a wonderful opportunity to thank the maternity professionals who go above and beyond every day and I am extremely excited to be a part of this panel where we will see our maternity heroes get the spotlight they richly deserve.”

“These incredible stories will show what our healthcare colleagues achieve on a daily basis – as Chief Nursing Officer, and a mum, I am dedicated to improving patient outcomes and supporting a strengthened nursing and midwifery workforce fit for the future and I look forward to celebrating the work of these amazing individuals.”

Dr Ranee Thakar, President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “I am delighted to join the judging panel for the UK Maternity Unit Marvels awards. At a time of real NHS pressure, dedicated maternity teams across the country are working incredibly hard. These awards are a fantastic opportunity to celebrate their excellence and compassion”.

Judy Ledger, Founder and CEO at Baby Lifeline, said: “Baby Lifeline’s UK MUM Awards are back!  We want to say thank you to Britain’s maternity professionals for the tireless work that they are doing.  Every day there are maternity care heroes going above and beyond to help parents and babies. Please vote today for your Maternity Unit Marvels.”

Nominations can be submitted here: https://www.babylifeline.org.uk/uk-mum-awards-2023