A MUSGROVE Park Hospital midwife has scooped a prestigious national award for showing exceptional care to the families she’s cared for.

Pip Quinn, who has been a midwife for almost 30 years, received the Cavell Star Award – handed to those who go the extra mile for the people they look after.

It was at the turn of the millennium that Pip first joined the NHS in Somerset, as a community midwife in Bridgwater, and since then she’s been in various roles, most recently at the Bracken Birthing Centre at Musgrove Park Hospital since 2009.

Her background is in supporting physiological births and promoting personalised choice for families.

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Pip became the birthing centre’s lead in 2020 and played a vital role in raising its profile.

This includes a large-scale refurbishment, with two new birthing pools, taking place a few years ago, thanks to a kind donation from the hospital’s League of Friends and its supporters.

“Overwhelmingly proud”

It was for this work that Pip has been awarded a Cavell Star.

She said: “I was very surprised to win the award, as one moment I was working away at my desk, and the next thing our director of midwifery, Sally Bryant, asked me to pop into a room with her for a minute, and I was given the fantastic surprise.

“Someone in my team had nominated me for the award, which I’m really humbled by, although I haven’t a clue to this day who it was!

“I’m overwhelmingly proud to have won the award and I don’t even feel worthy of it as I come to work and do my best like everybody else, but all the same, it’s nice to know that I’m valued, and I hope that I make other people feel valued as well.

“I’ve been a clinical midwife on the ground, and I still love that part of the job, but I went into this team leader role to support midwives and maternity support workers to be able to do their jobs and thrive and grow.

Colleagues at Musgrove Park Hospital’s maternity unit Picture: Somerset NHS Foundation Trust

“I have an amazing team of colleagues here who are really innovative and supportive of each other.

“I think we do some great things in the maternity unit in tricky situations, so I just come to work every day in the hope that I can keep people at work and support them to be the best that they can be.

“Colleagues sticking together and looking after each other is so important, as it’s tricky to look after other people if you’re not doing this.

“Kindness is also so important alongside safe care, and if we can look after each other with a caring ethos, then we can look after families at the most important point in their lives.

“Everyone is doing such an amazing job, and every day I see moments of brilliance within my NHS colleagues.”