The Ask a Midwife (AAM) service, run by Humber and North Yorkshire Local Maternity and Neonatal System, has been shortlisted for a prestigious national honour.
The service has been shortlisted for this year’s Royal College of Midwives awards in the ‘Excellence in Midwifery for Public Health’ category.
AAM is an online service delivered through the social media platforms Facebook and Instagram and is staffed by experienced midwives. The service allows expectant mothers, families and new parents to find frequently asked questions, public health and other pregnancy-related information, and to be able to privately message queries direct to qualified professionals.
Initially conceived in Hull in 2020, due to the number of questions received about the Covid-19 outbreak, the service has continued to evolve and is now available through all four Trusts which run hospitals in Humber and North Yorkshire – ensuring consistency of delivery and access regardless of which hospital a patient is with.
Sarah Collins, Project Lead for the Ask a Midwife service and qualified midwife for more than 27 years, said: “I am very proud of what we have achieved, and it’s great the Royal College of Midwives has recognised our work.
“Pregnancy can be one of the most exciting times in a person’s life, but it can also be one of the most stressful – so it’s crucial there is support available.
“Although the service doesn’t operate 24 hours a day, being run on social media allows people to send us a message at any time, day or night, and we’ll pick it up and respond as soon as someone is available.
“There really is no question too trivial or embarrassing; we’re happy to help answer them all and put minds at rest if we can or otherwise refer people to more specific sources of support.”
Expecting families can reach out to their local Ask a Midwife service, and information on the different account handles for each area can be found here.
Winners will be selected ahead of the 2023 RCM awards ceremony, which is due to be held at The Brewery in London on 19 Friday May 2023.
The full list of nominees for the RCM Awards 2023 is available here: https://www.rcmawards.com/shortlist-2023/.