Hallam midwifery student shortlisted for award

22nd January 2019

A Sheffield Hallam University student has been shortlisted for the Pregnacare Student Midwife of the Year Award as part of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) annual awards ceremony.

The award seeks to recognise an individual student midwife who makes an outstanding contribution to their future profession through their activism, initiative and leadership, as well as rewarding excellence and innovation in midwifery practice, management, education and research. Student midwife Katy Ellis has been shortlisted for her role as president of Sheffield Hallam's midwifery society, as well as her work on various other projects, including representing students across the University's Faculty of Health and Wellbeing at the upcoming Nursing and Midwifery Council's (NMC) nursing curriculum review and speaking at the RCM 2018 Education Conference. Katy said: "I feel exceptionally honoured to be shortlisted for such a prestigious award. I am really passionate about midwifery and have undertaken opportunities to share this with my fellow peers and healthcare professionals across the country - I hope this opportunity enables me to continue to do this and encourages other student midwives to do the same." Katy has also participated in a range of fundraising events to raise awareness of charities that the women and families in her care access. She recently took part in the London Vitality 10k run, where she raised money and awareness for Mummy's Star, a charity that supports mothers and their families affected by cancer during pregnancy. She was also nominated to attend the NHS 70th birthday celebration at York Minster last year, representing healthcare professionals and students at Sheffield Hallam. Rachael Spencer, deputy head of the department for nursing and midwifery at Sheffield Hallam, said: "We are delighted that, for the second year running, we have had a midwifery student shortlisted in the Royal College of Midwives Awards. Third year student Katy is a conscientious student who fully deserves this recognition." Gill Walton, chief executive of the RCM said: "The standard of entries has been extremely high, so to get this far is an outstanding achievement. "The entries show how much innovation is going on in our maternity services, and how hard midwives, maternity support workers and the wider maternity team are working to deliver safe, high quality care to women, their babies and families." The winners will be announced at the Annual RCM Midwifery Awards Lunch on Tuesday 5 March 2019 at the Brewery in London. Sheffield Hallam University is the largest provider of health and social care education in England. With courses covering all aspects of healthcare including: nursing, midwifery, allied health, social care and sport, its curriculum creates the skilled workforce the NHS needs to deliver better long-term health outcomes for the nation. Over the last five years, almost 7,000 students have qualified as healthcare professionals from Sheffield Hallam. Health professional trainees benefit from an interdisciplinary teaching approach, working with partners and academics who are leaders in their fields. The University's partnerships with hospital trusts, social care providers and leading health charities, provides around 20,000 placement opportunities for Sheffield Hallam's healthcare students each year.