Melksham midwife wins national award for healthcare research

A midwife from Melksham has won a prestigious national award for her work in expanding healthcare research opportunities for women, babies, children and families.

Lead Research Midwife Catherine Bressington, who works at Royal United Hospitals Bath (RUH), received one of the NIHR20 Research Delivery Leaders Prizes, awarded to mark the 20th anniversary of the National Institute for Health and Care Research.

The prize includes a £10,000 development fund which will allow Catherine to learn from other organisations and bring best practice back to the RUH.

Catherine, who qualified as a midwife at the RUH in 2013, has helped introduce several studies to the hospital, including the Generation Study, a national research programme that uses whole genome sequencing to screen newborn babies for more than 200 rare but treatable genetic conditions.

Catherine said, “As a midwife, I wanted to make sure we were providing the best possible care for the families we look after. I realised that a career in research is a way of doing that not only for the people who come through our doors today, but for future generations of families too.”

“This award gives me a fantastic opportunity to learn from other organisations, visit centres of excellence and attend conferences where new ideas are being developed. If there are better ways of doing things elsewhere, I want to bring that learning back to the RUH so that the people we care for can benefit.”

Nearly 5,000 people joined research studies at the RUH last year, helping to develop new treatments and improve services.

RUH Head of Research Jane Carter said, “This prestigious award is a testament to Catherine’s exceptional leadership, strategic thinking and her dedication to expanding research opportunities for patients and staff.

“Through her vision and determination, research within maternity, neonatal and paediatric services at the RUH has grown significantly. More patients are now able to take part in groundbreaking studies and clinical trials that have the potential to improve care for future generations.”