The award for Outstanding Contribution to Maternity Services: Perinatal Mental Health recognises specialist midwives, student midwives, maternity support workers or specialist teams who are championing, leading and advocating to ensure women and their families receive the best care possible.
Annmarie Thomas has spent 16 years working to improve perinatal mental health, overcoming her own barriers and challenges.
Since her appointment as a perinatal mental health specialist midwifery role at the Health Board, midwives now feel confident and supported to open dialogue with families about mental health.
In addition, women and birthing people who are below the threshold to access specialist mental health services are able to access a timely, supportive and preventative intervention that empowers them to manage feeling overwhelmed emotionally, giving them life tools that have the potential to impact parenting and the future mental health of our next generation.
At the awards ceremony in London on 18 October, the RCM’s Chief Executive, Gill Walton, said:
“Providing compassionate mental health care for colleagues within our networks feeds into clinical care. This means improved working cultures for midwives as well as putting physical and mental health in pregnancy on a par with each other.”
