A midwifery team supporting Hull families who experience the death of their babies has won a prestigious national award.

The Bereavement Team at Hull Women and Children’s Hospital after they won Maternity Team of the Year in the MAMA Academy Awards on November 19.

Hull’s Bereavement Team – Lead Bereavement Midwife Ainsley Belton, Maternity Bereavement Support Worker Sam Catanach and Bereavement Midwife Jenna Cadden – were named Maternity Team of the Year after beating off competition from the Bereavement Team at King’s College Hospital, London, St Mary’s Birth Centre in Leicester, Lewisham and Greenwich Bereavement Midwives in London and Wirral University Teaching Hospital in Merseyside.

Members of the Bereavement Team Ainsley Belton, Jenna Cadden and Sam Catanach

Yvonne McGrath, Group Director of Midwifery at NHS Humber Health Partnership, said: “We couldn’t be prouder of our Maternity Bereavement Team in Hull. They put families at the heart of everything they do to ensure we offer compassionate care for as long as they need us at the most difficult time in any parent’s life.

“The dedication and commitment of Ainsley, Jenna and Sam underlines the progress we are making to introduce new ways of working and innovative services to deliver the best possible care for all parents and their babies.”

Winning the national award is the latest success for the team after they won Outstanding Clinical Team at the Golden Stars awards ceremony, held by Humber Health Partnership in September, to celebrate staff and their achievements.

The MAMA Academy, set up to reduce the number of stillbirths and neonatal deaths in the UK,  holds its annual MAMA Awards Ceremony to celebrate the dedication and commitment of health care professionals who support parents and their babies.

Heidi Eldridge, founder of the MAMA Academy, read out the team’s nomination, outlining the team’s work, telling how they support families from the moment they receive the news that their baby has died, help with investigations and funerals and support families for up to four months.

She highlighted just some of their work from setting up a peer-to-peer support group for parents who have lost their babies to building the Rainbow Clinic to support families with subsequent pregnancies after they’ve lost a child. She also highlighted their work to set up a Remembrance Service during last month’s Baby Loss Awareness Week, attended by more than 100 people.

Heidi said: “Sam, Ainsley and Jenna are the dream team that everybody wants in their hospital.

“That is just remarkable work in such a short space of time so thank you so much. I’m sure many guests here tonight will be inspired by your dedication. Thank you.”