MATERNITY and neonatal staff from Southend, Basildon and Broomfield hospitals have showcased their dedication to patients after receiving an impressive four awards at the East of England Perinatal Awards.

The Awards are a platform for maternity and neonatal units to share best practice and celebrate outstanding contributions. The team achieved four wins from an impressive ten nominations in total. They recognise the outstanding work of Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust's staff in caring for mothers, newborns and their families.

Nicki Abbott, Interim Managing Director for Women's and Children's Division at the Trust, said: "These awards are a true testament to the exceptional work and dedication of our maternity and neonatal teams across all our hospitals and I am incredibly proud of them. They consistently go above and beyond to deliver the highest quality care for our patients, and we are committed as a team to continuously improving our services to best serve our community."

Winners included Joanne Bryan, a dedicated nurse from Southend Hospital, who was named Neonatal Nursery Nurse of the Year.

Joanne said: "I was thrilled to receive this award. Working with such a supportive team makes the job incredibly rewarding. This recognition motivates me to keep improving the care we provide."

Marjorie Varney, a midwife at Broomfield Hospital, won the Midwife of the Year Award. She said: "I have been qualified as a midwife for 40 years and being recognised as Midwife of the Year is a huge honour. This award would not have been possible without the entire maternity team at Broomfield Hospital. We are all committed to providing compassionate and high-quality care to women and birthing people and their newborns."

Laura Miller, neonatal lead nurse, also took home a Midwife of the Year award and the Basildon Neonatal Transitional Care team was announced as Neonatal Team of the Year.

Kat Smith, a neonatal transitional care nursery nurse, said: "Transitional care is an incredibly rewarding job. and keeping mothers and babies together means the world to us. We help families bond and reduce admissions to the neonatal unit. This wouldn't be possible without teamwork and our constant pursuit of excellence."