Latest news with #RoyalCollegeofMidwives
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Lady Starmer's latest elegant look has Princess Kate written all over it
Lady Victoria Starmer has taken a leaf out of Kate Middleton's style book as she's spotted in an elegant cream blazer and midi skirt that Princess Kate would be proud of Today (July 28) Prime Minister Kier Starmer was joined by his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer, to greet Donald Trump in Scotland during the President's visit to the UK. For the occasion, Lady Starmer seemed to channel Kate Middleton, in a tonal head-to-toe cream outfit that included a tailored blazer and flowing midi skirt. Princess Kate has been spotted in several similar outfits recently, and Lady Starmer's elegant look was perfect for the occasion. Her exact outfit hailed from Saint + Sofia, and good news for those looking to snap up the pieces for themselves, as they're all still in stock. For the meeting, Lady Starmer wore the Ashby Jacket, which retails from £249, and the Eliza Pleated Skirt which you can pick up for £149. The combination of tailored jacket and flowing midi skirt has long been a go-to look for Princess Kate, who wore a similar look in 2022 to visit the Royal College of Midwives in London. Many of Kate's looks have actually been dresses hailing from brands like Self Portrait, with a similar version currently available for £460 (in very limited sizing), which keeps the outfit cohesive but does limit the wearability of the piece. The beauty of Lady Starmer's look, however, is that the separates can be easily worn with multiple other things in your wardrobe. You could easily pair the Ashby Jacket with anything from flowing midi dresses or a simple pair of jeans, whilst the Eliza Pleated Skirt could work anywhere from the office to holiday. Both of Lady Starmer's pieces also come in an inclusive range of sizes, spanning from a UK6 to a UK22. The boucle jacket is a wardrobe staple, channelling Chanel's classic quiet luxury style with its boucle material, patch pockets and collarless neckline. Meanwhile the skirt has a flattering wide waistband, with tailored pleating that gives it plenty of movement and volume. If you do want a more all-in-one outfit reminiscent of the Princess of Wales, Coast's Tailored Pleat Skirt Midi Dress is a great affordable option. Currently on sale for £125.10 down from £130, it has a wrapped blazer style bodice, with a pleated sating midi skirt and comes in both champagne and pale blue, making it a great wedding guest outfit. If you want to copy Lady Starmer's look (perhaps for a wedding or summer occasion) but prefer to stay away from cream or white-adjacent colours, both the jacket and the skirt come in a variety of other colours and prints. There's everything from black and white check and pale blue to navy floral prints to pick from, so you can pick up a look that works for any occasion.
Scotsman
05-07-2025
- Health
- Scotsman
Scotland's Health Awards 2025: The 'compassionate' midwife on Orkney helping parents deal with intense loss
Nominations are open for the Midwife of the Year honour at the 2025 Scotland's Health Awards. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... It is a role typically described as one of the busiest in healthcare and critical to the smooth operation of Scotland's busiest maternity hospitals situated across the Central Belt. But on Orkney - more than 300 miles north of Edinburgh - midwife Melissa Lindsay has proven herself to be just as critical a lynchpin in a tightly-knit community. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Scotsman Health Awards 2024 Midwife Award winner Melissa Lindsay (centre), next to Health Secretary Neil Gray (right). | Lisa Ferguson/The Scotsman The compassion and dedication of Ms Lindsay was recognised in being crowned Midwife of the Year at last year's Scotland's Health Awards, hosted by The Scotsman. 'It's just incredible,' Ms Lindsay said after winning the award. 'Working as a midwife is a privilege anyway, so to be recognised for doing a job like that is just amazing. And it's a privilege also to look after the women and families of Orkney, who are a wonderful community.' Ms Lindsay added: 'I love my job as an integrated midwife ... working in a remote and rural setting relies on excellent teamwork and we are fortunate to have a fantastic team.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A member of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) who qualified as a midwife in 1998, Ms Lindsay leads the National Care Bereavement Pathway on Orkney, delivering difficult news with empathy to those parents dealing with pregnancy or baby loss. She returned to practice in 2017 after taking several years off to bring up her own children. Ms Lindsay went on to complete her sonographer training in 2019. Scotland's Health Awards 2025 is open for nominations | The Scotsman Jaki Lambert, director of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) in Scotland, said of Ms Lindsay's award win: 'Melissa, a compassionate midwife and sonographer, who leads the National Bereavement Care Pathway implementation across Orkney, ensures that families receive all the care they need at such a difficult time. Her dedication to bereavement support and the Baby Loss Wave of Light Ceremony impacts the community profoundly.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Wave of Light ceremony held annually on October 15 invites families to light a candle at 7pm local time and leave it burning for at least one hour to remember all those babies who have died too soon. Ms Lindsay was one of three staff members nominated from Orkney, in a reflection of the level of health care delivered on one of Scotland's most remote group of islands. Macmillan specialist nurse Anne Gregg and Amanda Manson, a cardiology specialist nurse, were also separately nominated for the Nurse of the Year Award. The award won by Ms Lindsay recognises an individual midwife or team of midwives providing excellent, evidence-based NHS maternity services and care in Scotland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Other award categories include care for mental health, as well as awards for the doctor, nurse, top team, volunteers, young achiever, Allied Health Professional, midwife and leader of the year. The Royal College of Midwives, the Royal College of Nursing, GCU (School of Health and Life Sciences), and Alpha Solway: Skytech are all sponsoring individual awards. Nominations close on Sunday, August 17, but readers will have until October to vote on this year's Readers' Choice Award, which is hand-selected by the public themselves.
BBC News
27-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Bradford midwives tell of 'heartbreaking' struggle to find work
Midwives have told of their "heartbreaking" struggle to find work - despite the apparent shortage of staff in the Rodbourne and Sophie Rooke fought off tough competition to secure training at the University of Bradford, and looked forward to their dream roles as government data suggested about 2,500 more midwives were both students were advised to seek "back-up plans" due to a shortage of positions available - with many from their cohort still without Royal College of Midwives said: "The number of full-time working midwives has not kept pace with the growing amount of complexity facing services." Before Ms Rodbourne, 28, was accepted to study midwifery, she had worked in a care home and had always known her role in life was to care for two children aged nine and four, going back to university as a mature student took a lot of planning, and she had to complete an access course and A levels before beginning her training. Her work paid off and three years ago she was accepted to study with 45 others who she described as being "like a family". 'Passion' for care work But in September last year, reality hit in a way she found "heartbreaking". Her cohort were told it was going to be "difficult with jobs this year" and were warned to have "back-up plans". Ms Rodbourne was one of the "lucky ones" and secured a job in Bradford but said: "It didn't feel like a time of celebration, almost like mourning, because you'd secured a job but many had not."About 75% of the cohort have now secured work but many have taken fewer hours at the hospital trusts in the hope more of their year can find Rodbourne said: "You can't be a midwife if you don't care."You've got to care about it and every single one of these women at Bradford are passionate and they care and they deserve it and it's heartbreaking to see some of them haven't got a job." Sophie Rooke, 34, was inspired to take up midwifery following the traumatic birth of her oldest has three girls aged 10, eight and five, and said although the care she received while giving birth was good it "could have been better".During her first two years at university, Ms Rooke said the job situation locally was "not that bad".But she said, in September 2024 as third-year students, they were told "ladies you need plan Bs as you're not all going to get jobs".She found it "truly awful" and said her husband must have "had enough of her crying".Ms Rooke said she even applied for a job in Bolton about 45 miles away but withdrew as it was not "viable" to commute that far, particularly with three children of her own to care for. In the end, Ms Rooke did not need a "plan b" and has secured work at Airedale NHS Foundation has also taken fewer hours in the hope more of her cohort can secure work. Sarah Flower, Assistant Professor of Midwifery at the University of Bradford, is helping to teach the next generation of Flower said her trainees were entering the profession at a "really exciting time, but a really challenging time".She said: "To support them into midwifery at the moment is a real privilege because they can make such a huge difference for women and families."The course in Bradford runs for three years and has tapped into the latest technology to help trainees learn - including using AI headsets and birth work closely with Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust, Airedale NHS Foundation Trust and Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust. Ms Rooke called on the government to "take note", saying: "All the reports are that the care isn't there but the care is not there because the staff's not there."Ms Rodbourne added: "If adequate amounts of funding were made available it would solve a lot of things in maternity."The Department of Health this week announced a national investigation into maternity care in "rapid" inquiry will urgently look at the worst-performing maternity and neonatal services in the will begin this summer and report back by December. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
National investigation into NHS maternity services launched after families 'gaslit'
A "rapid" national investigation into NHS maternity services has been launched by the government. The announcement comes after Health Secretary Wes Streeting met families who have lost babies and amid the ongoing investigations at some trusts into maternity care failings. The investigation in England is intended to provide truth to families suffering harm, as well as driving urgent improvements to care and safety, as part of efforts to ensure "no parent or baby is ever let down again". Politics latest: The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) welcomed the government's announcement and said maternity services were "at, or even beyond, breaking point". Last week, the NHS regulator said maternity and neonatal services at over safety issues. Mr Streeting, who was speaking at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) conference in London, apologised on behalf of the NHS for what families had been through and said it was "clear something is going wrong". He added: "For the past year, I have been meeting bereaved families from across the country who have lost babies or suffered serious harm during what should have been the most joyful time in their lives. "What they have experienced is devastating - deeply painful stories of trauma, loss, and a lack of basic compassion - caused by failures in NHS maternity care that should never have happened. "Their bravery in speaking out has made it clear: we must act - and we must act now." Mr Streeting said families have had to "fight for truth and justice" and had described being "ignored, gaslit, lied to, manipulated and damaged further by the inability for a trust to simply be honest with them that something has gone wrong". The investigation will consist of two parts. The first will investigate up to 10 of the most concerning maternity and neonatal units, including Sussex, in the coming weeks to give affected families answers as quickly as possible, according to the Department of Health. The second will be a "system-wide" look at maternity and neonatal care, uniting lessons from past inquiries to create one clear set of actions designed to improve NHS care. A National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will be chaired by Mr Streeting and made up of experts and bereaved families. The investigation will begin this summer and report back by December. Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, said: "This rapid national investigation must mark a line in the sand for maternity care - setting out one set of clear actions for NHS leaders to ensure high quality care for all." Dr Ranee Thakar, president of the RCOG, said: "The maternity workforce is on its knees, with many now leaving the profession." Read more from Sky News: RCM chief executive Gill Walton said: "Everyone involved in maternity services - the midwifery community, obstetricians, anaesthetists, sonographers and, of course, the women and families in their care - knows that maternity services are at, or even beyond, breaking point. "This renewed focus and commitment by the health secretary to deliver change is welcome, and we will do everything we can to support him in doing so."
Sky News
23-06-2025
- Health
- Sky News
National investigation into NHS maternity services launched after families 'gaslit'
A "rapid" national investigation into NHS maternity services has been launched by the government. The announcement comes after Health Secretary Wes Streeting met families who have lost babies and amid the ongoing investigations at some NHS trusts into maternity care failings. The investigation in England is intended to provide truth to families suffering harm, as well as driving urgent improvements to care and safety, as part of efforts to ensure "no parent or baby is ever let down again". The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) welcomed the government's announcement and said maternity services were "at, or even beyond, breaking point". Last week, the NHS regulator said maternity and neonatal services at two Leeds hospitals had been rated inadequate over safety issues. Mr Streeting, who was speaking at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) conference in London, apologised on behalf of the NHS for what families had been through and said it was "clear something is going wrong". He added: "For the past year, I have been meeting bereaved families from across the country who have lost babies or suffered serious harm during what should have been the most joyful time in their lives. "What they have experienced is devastating - deeply painful stories of trauma, loss, and a lack of basic compassion - caused by failures in NHS maternity care that should never have happened. "Their bravery in speaking out has made it clear: we must act - and we must act now." Mr Streeting said families have had to "fight for truth and justice" and had described being "ignored, gaslit, lied to, manipulated and damaged further by the inability for a trust to simply be honest with them that something has gone wrong". The investigation will consist of two parts. The first will investigate up to 10 of the most concerning maternity and neonatal units, including Sussex, in the coming weeks to give affected families answers as quickly as possible, according to the Department of Health. The second will be a "system-wide" look at maternity and neonatal care, uniting lessons from past inquiries to create one clear set of actions designed to improve NHS care. A National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will be chaired by Mr Streeting and made up of experts and bereaved families. The investigation will begin this summer and report back by December. 2:02 Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, said: "This rapid national investigation must mark a line in the sand for maternity care - setting out one set of clear actions for NHS leaders to ensure high quality care for all." Dr Ranee Thakar, president of the RCOG, said: "The maternity workforce is on its knees, with many now leaving the profession." RCM chief executive Gill Walton said: "Everyone involved in maternity services - the midwifery community, obstetricians, anaesthetists, sonographers and, of course, the women and families in their care - knows that maternity services are at, or even beyond, breaking point. "This renewed focus and commitment by the health secretary to deliver change is welcome, and we will do everything we can to support him in doing so."
