National Chief Midwifery award honours for Mahfuja
Continuity Midwife Mahfuja Aktar has been awarded a national Chief Midwifery officer award for her work with ethnically diverse families.
Mahfuja (Maf ) joined one of Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust’s continuity midwifery teams in March 2022.
It had been set up specifically to cater for the local socially deprived, Black and Asian population – communities which are often underserved, due to issues with language barriers and navigation of the maternity system.
These disadvantages are knowntoincreasethechances of a poor maternity outcome.
Continuity midwifery is a system that delivers maternity care so that women receive dedicated support from the same small maternity team throughout their pregnancy.
Maf ’s ability to speak Bengali was a huge benefit to the localBangladeshicommunity. Herethnicityhasalsoseemed to encourage more engagement from other Black and Asian groups.
Maf said: ‘The mothers seem much more pleased and happier with their care. They knowthattheycancometome with any questions, even if it’s just reading a scan report. It’s so nice seeing that they have confidence with me.’
Alongside her job, Maf also dedicated her time completing an academic module, funded by the NIHR (National
Institute for Health and Care Research) to support underserved communities.
Maf went above and beyond with this project and has established networks with several minority ethnic groups, which she plans to continue growing.
Shesaid:“Theprojecttook a lot of time, effort and commitment. It was really challenging, but so worth it.’
Consultant Midwife Julie Woodman, who nominated Maf for the award, said: ‘She reallydeservesrecognitionfor taking on this piece of work in such a vibrant and passionate way.
‘We are really hoping this will improve inclusivity across all areas of improvement in the wider Trust.’
Director of Midwifery, Lynn Woolley, added: ‘We’re delighted that Maf is our first Midwife to achieve a Chief Midwifery Officer's Award.
Maf was presented with her award by Deputy Chief Midwifery Officer Jess Read.