HRH The Princess Royal, who is patron of the Royal College of Midwives(RCM), met with midwives, maternity support workers, neonatal midwives and other members of staff from NHS Lanarkshire on Monday (April 30th) during a royal visit. Her Royal Highness was welcomed on arrival by RCM President, Kathryn Gutteridge, RCM’s Director for Scotland, Dr Mary Ross Davie, RCM’s Chief Executive, Gill Walton, and Lyn Clyde Chief Midwife at University Hospital Wishaw.
During the visits HRH The Princess Royal met midwives at the Wishaw’s Early Pregnancy Unit and viewed their state-of-the-art birthing rooms and training rooms used by student midwives. During her visit, The Princess Royal also formally opened the new alongside midwifery unit, In March this year NHS Lanarkshire was named ‘Midwifery Service of the Year’ at the RCM’s Annual Midwifery Awards 2018. The unit was also one of five Heath Boards chosen in Scotland to take forward early implementation of the Best Start recommendations, including the implementation of continuity of carer and the development of a system of local delivery of maternity care.
Neena Mahal, Chair of NHS Lanarkshire, said: “We were delighted to welcome Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal to formally open the alongside midwifery unit which gives mums a further choice for place of birth in line with the national Best Start recommendations. Our maternity and neonatal service has been a leading light in the Scottish Patient Safety Programme’s Maternity and Child Quality Improvement Collaborative programme. I would like to thank all the maternity and neonatal staff for their sustained effort in providing the highest standard of care to the women and babies.
“I would also like to thank the Royal College of Midwives for their continued support and recognition of the exemplary work of our maternity and neonatal team over the years.”
Princess Anne also officially opened Healthcare Environmental Group’s waste to energy plant in Shotts. There she was met by one hundred and fifty specially invited guests as well as staff, among the six primary schools who were invited was Allanton Primary School, pupils from the school presented a bouquet to the Princess Anne, their prize for winning a competition to design a useful everyday object made from recycled plastic.
Managing Director Garry Pettigrew said: “Today was not only a celebration to mark the official opening of our new energy plant, it was also to thank our staff and customers who have been so supportive in making this a reality. Welcoming HRH The Princess Royal to open the eco-park is a real boost for us all. But what made today really special was having kids from the local schools, invited guests, staff and customers who helped turn the day into a bit of a party. The park has huge potential with plenty of space to accommodate other businesses that can also benefit from our technology to transform waste into energy.”