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Our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the nurses and midwives in the Midlands
The Year of the Nurse and Midwife 2020 is our year and is our opportunity to celebrate and champion our nursing and midwifery
professions to showcase the incredible, life changing work we do for patients across our health and social care system.
Whilst in ordinary times we would have celebrated together, the events of this year have meant we have had to do things differently – but we still wanted to do something fitting to mark this very special occasion.
That’s why we’ve compiled this commemorative e-book which includes stories and videos from nurses, midwives and care support workers from across our region and highlights their contribution and the difference they are making to patients and communities.
This e-book is a celebration of you and everything you do. It’s recognition of how diverse and vibrant our professions are and how we as nurses and midwives touch people’s lives.
About the Year of the Nurse and Midwife
The World Health Organisation (WHO) designated 2020 as International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife (YONM) to celebrate the vital contribution that 22 million nurses and two million midwives make in providing better healthcare all over the world.
The year is an especially significant one here in
the UK as it coincides with the 200th anniversary
of the birth of Florence Nightingale – a colossal
figure in history who laid the foundations for
nursing to become the professional occupation
we know today.
Read the introductions from…
- Siobhan Heafield, Regional Chief Nurse for the Midlands
- Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer for England
- Janet Driver, Regional Chief Midwife for the Midlands
- Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, Chief Midwifery Officer for England
Read more about YONM…
Celebrating the work of nurses and midwives across the Midlands
These stories share extraordinary nursing and midwifery stories from the 11 sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs) and integrated care systems (ICSs) within the Midlands:
Birmingham and Solihull
- Celebrating our Mental Health Nurses at Forward Thinking Birmingham
- Community effort helps to deliver drive-through flu jab service for at risk groups
- More nursing and midwifery stories from Birmingham and Solihull…
Black Country and West Birmingham
- A Shared Decision-Making Council for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Staff at Walsall Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
- Supporting hospital admission avoidance
- Ensuring personalised maternity care for women whose first language isn’t English
- NHS Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG
Coventry and Warwickshire
- Working together for the safe discharge of patients with learning disabilities
- How Covid broke my heart
- More nursing and midwifery stories from Coventry and Warwickshire…
Derbyshire
- Derbyshire school nurses keep their HPV vaccinations moving with drive-through clinics
- From the RAF to the NHS
- Burton nurse from University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust reunites with her family
- More nursing and midwifery stories from Derbyshire…
Herefordshire and Worcestershire
- Green is ‘go’ for shielding patients’ clinic during lockdown
- Digital safety huddles improving outcomes for babies
- In the red: improving baby safety at Worcestershire Royal
- Herefordshire and Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust’s ‘Onward Care Team’
Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland
Lincolnshire
- Improving access to healthcare services
- Lyndsay Khan wins mental health nurse of the year for work with veterans
- More nursing and midwifery stories from Lincolnshire…
Northamptonshire
- Student nurses and retirees step-up during the pandemic at Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust
- We are one voice…we are not alone
- A day in the life of a matron at Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust
- More nursing and midwifery stories from Northamptonshire…
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
- Nottingham University Hospitals achieve international recognition for excellence in nursing
- Aquiline Chivinge appointed to drive inclusivity and diversity at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Comfort through the airwaves
- More nursing and midwifery stories from Nottingham and Nottinghamshire…
Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin
- Setting up a midwife led triage phone system during Covid
- Helping hearts bring comfort to end of life patients
- School nurses helping students to show a clean pair of hands
- More nursing and midwifery stories from Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin
Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent
Rankin portraits
During the summer this year, renowned photographer Rankin captured portraits of 12 individuals from across the NHS who played a key role in the NHS Covid response.
Two of our nursing and midwifery colleagues from the region were photographed:

District Nurse Anne Roberts from Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust. Credit: Rankin

Claudia Anghel, Midwife, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire. Credit: Rankin
The importance of the health and wellbeing of all nurses and midwives
To further support all nurses and midwives, the regional nursing team have co-produced a health and wellbeing toolkit with regional BAME experts and colleagues from the NHS England and NHS Improvement National Perceptions of Nursing team.
The toolkit features links to a large range of free health and wellbeing resources including websites, apps, podcasts and physical support groups.
We have incorporated a wide range of local resources and links to organisations offering support. Please share this resource and encourage your colleagues to use it to support themselves and others.