A midwife in Manchester has won the prestigious Midwife of the Year award at the 2024 Nursing Times Awards for her work on a Multilingual Maternity Resource for non-English speaking communities. 
Waheeda Abbas, Genomics Midwifery Lead at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), and a cultural Liaison midwife at Bolton Foundation Trust was awarded Midwife of the Year for her work on the project that provides information and support to non-English speaking families at a ceremony held in London.
The event saw nursing staff from across the health and social care sector celebrated for their work with awards given across 25 categories. The annual awards celebrate nursing and midwifery’s achievements in improving patient care and sharing best practice, highlighting the brilliant work of staff across a huge array of health and social care settings.
The judges commented that Waheeda’s work to develop the padlet, a digital multi-lingual tablet that patients can use to access resources and support in their own language, has made a real difference in reducing inequalities not only in Greater Manchester, but across the country.
The padlet helps women from across the world to have equitable access to maternity care resources and support, regardless of their language proficiency.
It empowers them to advocate for their needs, navigate the system more effectively, and actively participate in their prenatal, childbirth and postpartum experiences. Many trusts have now embedded her multilingual tablet within their maternity units and found it a valuable resource, reducing the need for interpreters to explain leaflets.
Waheeda said: “It’s incredible to be recognised at a national award ceremony. In Manchester and Bolton, we care for a highly diverse population and the padlet has been essential in making sure that everyone’s voices are heard.
“Thank you to all my colleagues at MFT and Bolton for being so supportive and I’m so grateful that, together, we have helped women play a more active role in their care”.
Find the full list of winners at: Nursing Times Awards 2024 Winners