Northumbria Healthcare in the running for two national awards for supporting active pregnancies

The organisation and its public health midwife, Carla Anderson, have both been shortlisted by the Activity Pregnancy Awards 2023 for contributions to supporting pregnant and postnatal women to stay physically active.

Since 2022, the Active Pregnancy Foundation has been delivering the This Mum Moves programme – which supports women to make informed choices so they can continue to enjoy and benefit from an active lifestyle.

This approach involves providing resources that ensure consistent advice and support throughout their journeys and training ambassadors that can deliver training to all staff.

The programme includes midwife-led aquanatal classes and buggy walks across the region that have been well-attended.

Carla, who has been nominated for Ambassador of the Year, has delivered training to more than 250 members of staff, including trust and local authority partners.

The trust has also supported the training of additional ambassadors including maternity support workers, physiotherapists, and health and well-being staff.

Carla said: “It’s really important to be physically active during pregnancy, even going for regular walks has huge health benefits and improves emotional well-being.”

This training has been supported by the Active Hospitals programme, which builds upon the extensive work to improve physical activity of staff and patients.

The trust was one of the first four trusts nationally to pilot the scheme, with Carla leading on the development of the maternity services pathway alongside the Active Hospitals delivery lead, Ruth Stevens.

The awards ceremony takes place on Tuesday, June 27, in London.