Dedicated midwifery leader receives prestigious award
Rita Osayimwen, practice development midwife lead, has been recognised with the prestigious Chief Midwifery Officer Award, for her commitment and dedication in the maternity department.
The national award, launched by Ruth May (Chief officer for England) in 2019, recognises the value of nurses and midwives. There are two categories for these awards, including a silver award recognising major contributions to patients and the profession, for nurses and midwives and a gold award recognising lifetime achievements for nurses and midwives.
Rita was nominated for the gold award by Debbie Goldsmith, Associate Director of Midwifery. In her nomination, Debbie said:
"In her role as a labour Ward Coordinator, Rita was known for supporting staff, putting women first and leading by example. Her passion for education led her to be successfully appointed as Practice Development Midwife in 2017. Since then, she has been a beacon of leadership and commitment at times of crises and has made a significant contribution to the development of our multidisciplinary team at Whipps Cross University Hospital.
"Rita has a long track-record of passionately advocating for midwives and mothers-to-be, both as a Supervisor of Midwives and more recently as a Professional Midwifery Advocate (PMA). Rita is compassionate and cares deeply about midwives wellbeing. It is well known in our unit that if midwives have an issue and they need to be listened to, they can always go to Rita!
"On a recent CQC inspection, the inspectors identified an issue which was raised to the Head of Midwifery. Rita behaved as great team player and worked all night to ensure there was an appropriate response to our inspectors. She supported the Audit midwife to review our NEWS & MEOWS observation charts to address their queries. The commitment of this midwife has been nothing short of outstanding and was a major contributor to our positive rating by the CQC."
On receiving the news, Rita said:
"Receiving this award is such an incredible honour. I have always strived to be a midwife that can have a positive impact on the families we come to know as well as in the workplace. This award has been a lovely reminder that I am achieving these goals.
More importantly, this award reminds me of my team and the wonderful midwives I am privileged enough to work with day in and day out. They have pushed me to become the midwife I am today therefore I see this award as shared amongst all of us in the department as all the achievements would not be possible without the effort and support of all the members of the maternity team."
Rita was presented with the award on Monday 14 March by Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, Chief Midwifery Officer OBE. At the presentation, Rita was joined by colleagues from the maternity department as well as Tristan Kerr, director of operations at Whipps Cross, and Caroline Alexander OBE, group chief nursing officer, who celebrated Rita's achievement.
During the presentation, Rita said:
"Thank you to everyone for organising this lovely presentation. To be recognised for what you do, I just can't explain how inspiring that can be. It's amazing to feel appreciated it for what you do.
This award inspires me to continue to strive and to continue to make a difference in the lives of women and their families."
