A Bolton midwife has been presented with a coveted national award recognising her significant and outstanding contribution in her everyday work.

Waheeda Abbas, a Specialist Liaison Midwife at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and Lead Midwife at North West Genomic Medicine Service Alliance, won the Silver Chief Midwifery Officer Award.

This award if given to those midwives who exceed the expectations of their everyday role.

Waheeda was nominated for developing a midwifery network across the North West to share the value of genomics across their wider workforce communities.

Genomics is the study of the genes in our DNA, and Waheeda’s remit has been to educate midwives across the North West about using genomics and its benefits in current medicine.

Waheeda has also focused a lot of her time working with Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities, who can typically be underserved by healthcare services.

Speaking about her award, Waheeda, who is also Lead Midwife at North West Genomic Medicine Service Alliance, said: “I could never have imagined achieving this and I was honoured to receive the Silver Chief Midwifery Officer Award.

“I love being a midwife and I am so passionate about improving outcomes for our pregnant people and their families.

“It’s not about me; it’s about the women who deserve the best care possible for them and their babies.

“Thank you to all of my amazing colleagues who helped to make this happen.”

The Bolton News: Some of the Bolton NHS Foundation Trust team with Waheeda AbbasSome of the Bolton NHS Foundation Trust team with Waheeda Abbas (Image: Bolton NHS Foundation Trust)Read more of our top stories here:

In the nomination for the award, Waheeda’s colleagues credit her bringing the use of genomics to the forefront of feto-maternal midwives and the general midwifery community and for educating staff on a new point of care test that can help to protect premature babies from loss of hearing.

Janet Cotton, Director of Midwifery at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, added: “It was such a privilege and pleasure to see Waheeda receive the award from the Chief Midwifery Officer for England.

“Waheeda goes above and beyond in her role to make a difference to the community she serves and raise the profile of genomics within midwifery practice.

“It fills me with pride knowing that her work is making a positive difference to the lives of so many families across Bolton and the North West.”

Tyrone Roberts, Chief Nursing Officer at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, added: “We are so incredibly proud of Waheeda, and this award is great recognition for her tireless commitment in working to improve pregnancy outcomes for communities, in particular those from BAME backgrounds.

“Waheeda is doing incredible work not just here at Bolton, but across the North West.

“It’s a joy to see Waheeda’s passion for genomics being celebrated as she is a true inspiration to everyone she works with and a real credit to our Trust.”

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