A MIDWIFE based at the John Radcliffe Hospital has been named as one of the best midwives in the country after being nominated for a national award.

Anita Hedditch, a senior midwife and lead of the Breech Team at the Women’s Centre has been shortlisted for the Midwife of the Year award for her dedication to women whose baby presents in the breech position, with feet or bottom in the pelvis instead of the head after 36 weeks.

The prestigious awards from the British Journal of Midwifery (BJM) recognise hard-working individuals and teams in the midwifery profession from across the country.

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Her work has helped significantly reduce the rate of caesarean section for breech births.

Ms Hedditch, who has worked at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) for 24 years, said: “I feel honoured to have been shortlisted for this award. This nomination publicises on a national level safe and realistic mode of birth choices for women with a term breech presentation.

“This is a chance to highlight that selective vaginal breech birth is a safe option alongside external cephalic version and Caesarean section for breech babies.

“I want to thank the other midwives in the team I work with. This nomination would not have been possible without their hard work and commitment.”

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Consultant midwife at OUH, Wendy Randall, has also been shortlisted for the BJM award for the best contribution to midwifery education for work done with Royal Berkshire’s consultant midwife, Christine Harding.

The pair are developing a tool and training package to allow midwives to be able detect changes in the womb more accurately.

Ms Randall, who has worked for the trust for 5 years, said: “We are very proud of our training package and want to reach out to as many people as possible to share our resources with.

“We feel that there has never been such a robust training package [in this area] or an assessment and this is vital for ensuring safe maternity care."

The award winners will be revealed in an evening ceremony taking place on February 13 at the Queen's Hotel in Leeds.