Slimming World sponsors RCM’s Caring For You During a Global Pandemic prize

A team of midwives and maternity support workers (MSW) at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board won the prestigious award for supporting their colleagues through the pandemic. The team who run the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) branch at the board earned praise from the judging panel for organising regular online learning events on COVID regulations and guidelines and helped staff to stay up to date and offer the best possible advice and support for women. The team were also lauded for ensuring that this work was across all staff groups, not just midwives and MSWs.

Carolyn Pallister, Slimming World’s Nutrition and Health Policy Manager, said: “We’re delighted to support the Caring for You award, especially this year with its focus on supporting midwives during a global pandemic, as we believe it’s vital that maternity professionals are fully supported allowing them to continue to provide outstanding care for women and their families.

“The winning team demonstrated how a strong culture of care and support can make such a difference, especially in very challenging times, and clearly the health and wellbeing of midwives and maternity support workers is at the heart of Cardiff and Vale.”

Suzanne Tyler, Director for Services to members at the (RCM), said: “It’s hard to imagine the pressures midwives and MSWs and their maternity colleagues have faced and overcome over the last 18 months. They worked incredibly hard to ensure services continued for mothers, babies and their families. Our Cardiff branch is a really active and engaged one, and the efforts made by them and our members in Cardiff to be there for staff and support them through this has been extraordinary. They have embodied what our Caring for You initiative is all about, which is supporting staff to ensure they in turn can do their jobs as well as possible. I congratulate them heartily on this well-deserved award.”

Slimming World has been working in partnership with the RCM for several years in a bid to ensure pregnant women get the best support, up to date information and advice, during and after pregnancy, and that midwives continue to be supported in the outstanding work they do.

Carolyn continued: “We’re proud of our partnership with the RCM – supporting women with a healthier lifestyle. We know that weight can have an impact on all stages of our lives, even when pregnant, as a new mum, or when trying for a baby. Slimming World doesn’t encourage weight loss or ‘dieting’ during pregnancy – instead we support women to adopt a balanced, healthy diet to prevent excess weight gain. We also help mums to manage their weight healthily following the birth of their child, while breast-feeding.”

Slimming World is the only national weight management organisation that supports pregnant and breastfeeding women to address weight issues with the ongoing involvement of their midwife or GP. Slimming World and the RCM have created a website to help women successfully manage their weight before, during and after one of the most exciting events in their lives, and it contains advice for women who are trying for a baby, as well as mothers who are already pregnant or have a newborn.