Teesside University lecturer’s national success for improving maternity care

An inspirational midwife who also teaches at Teesside University has been recognised for her commitment to improving maternity care for patients and their families.

Clinical midwife Afshan Ali, from University Hospitals Tees, received the Iolanthe/Royal College of Midwives Jean Davies Award for her commitment to addressing health inequalities.

Afshan, who is also a part-time midwifery lecturer at Teesside University’s School of Health & Life Sciences, is on a mission to make the midwifery curriculum more inclusive, culturally relevant and fair.

The Iolanthe Midwifery Trust (IMT) is a registered charity dedicated to enhancing the care provided to patients, babies and their families.

It funds midwives and student midwives engaged in innovative and inclusive projects, with grants and fellowships to support midwifery education, practice, and research.

The funding received from the Jean Davies award will help Afshan and her co-applicant Susan Holbourn on the development and delivery of structured equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) training for midwifery academic staff.

Afshan said: “Being a midwife is part of your identity. It’s a calling and I love being an advocate for my patients and supporting them and their families.

“It is a privilege to receive the award in honour of inspirational trustee, midwife and researcher Jean Davies, whose focus throughout her career was to help families experiencing social and economic disadvantage in her home region of the North-East of England, and we would like to do the same.

"Being South Asian and working within the field I can see some of the systemic, national and local challenges faced by midwives.

“Our goal is to create a more inclusive curriculum that acknowledges diverse methods of care and empowers midwives across the region to understand and respect the diverse needs of the populations they serve, which will ultimately lead to better health outcomes for patients and their families.”

Deborah Bezance, labour ward manager at James Cook said: "Congratulations to Afshan on this well-deserved recognition. Her dedication to tackling health inequalities is not only inspiring but truly transformative.

“Her work is a powerful reminder of the difference compassionate, equitable care can make in the lives of so many. Everyone on the central delivery suite is incredibly proud of all she has achieved.”

Emma-Bliss Harding who recently joined University Hospitals Tees as a midwife after qualifying from Teesside University, also received a Iolanthe Midwifery Trust student award for her commitment to improving local services.

She said: “I am over the moon to have been awarded the Iolanthe student award which will aid in providing students, midwives and midwifery lecturers much needed education in how to better care for and support global majority maternity patients and babies and help build a better understanding into the health disparities that they face.

“This is a cause very close to my heart and my hope is that by providing this education it shines much needed light on the importance of incorporating this subject into midwifery curriculum for future cohorts and mandatory obstetric training within our local trusts.”

---