WaterWipes is proud to announce this year’s Pure Foundation Fund winners from the UK and Ireland. Each winner was awarded the Pure Foundation Fund plaque and £2,500 / €2,500 for their respective departments to continue to support maternity, neonatal and postnatal care.
This year’s winners are:
Midwife, Claire Slater who works at Worcestershire Royal Hospital and is a community midwife at Princess of Wales Community Hospital, Bromsgrove. She was nominated by first-time LGBTQ+ parent Holly Foss for her compassionate and inclusive practice.
Health Visitor, Veronica Steele from Kettering was nominated by Laura Moore for her support after a traumatic and life-threatening birth which left her with PTSD and anxiety. Laura described Veronica as “a complete super woman”.
Neonatal Nurse, Tori Payne was nominated by parent Lindsey Troy for her involvement with the vCreate Platform at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital, which enables her neonatal unit to send parents photos of their babies on the ward. Tori will use the prize money for her unit to further improve premature baby care at her Hospital.
County Laois Midwife Claire Fitzpatrick was nominated for her work improving the experience of breastfeeding mothers during lockdowns. She was able to maintain levels of support through switching to virtual classes, all whilst she volunteered her time for Ireland’s vaccination effort.
Public Health Nurse Pauline O’Connor from Claremorris was nominated by patient Laura McHugh for her care of Laura, and Laura’s son who was struggling to sleep the whole night through.
Neonatal Nurse at Cork University Maternity Hospital, Anne Buckley, was nominated for her care of baby Nell, born three months premature and weighing just 660 grams. Anne cared for Nell on the ward and supported her parents with an optimistic attitude and good humour.
Celebrating our ‘beyond incredible’ healthcare heroes
Every day, maternity professionals, neonatal and postnatal staff, community nurses and health visitors achieve incredible things when caring for expectant parents, new parents and babies. Last year, WaterWipes launched the first-ever Pure Foundation Fund, and set out to recognise the achievements of healthcare professionals from across the UK and Ireland, who in the words of their patients and colleagues were ‘beyond incredible’.
This year, WaterWipes received nominations from across the UK and Ireland detailing the outstanding work of many healthcare professionals. The 2021 judging panel included WaterWipes representatives and representatives from Bliss, the INHA and the INMO.
We were delighted to launch the second Pure Foundation Fund in 2021, to celebrate the dedication of our healthcare heroes who have provided beyond incredible care for expectant or new parents and their babies – and we were thrilled to see such fantastic and remarkable entries. Stories of those nominated included devoted nurses, midwives and health visitors, who supported parents throughout the pandemic, helping with difficult births, homebirths, and upping the ante to take care of unwell babies and struggling parents during a particularly difficult year for the world.
Ailbhe O’Briain, WaterWipes HCP Marketing Manager for UK & Ireland
WaterWipes would like to congratulate all the winners and thank all those who nominated a ‘beyond incredible’ health hero.