Ahead of International Day of the Midwife on May 5, North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (NCIC) is celebrating the safe, compassionate care and the high-quality maternity services available to families across north Cumbria.
Between April 2025 and March 2026, NCIC welcomed 2,509 babies into the world across our unit, including 45 home births. 11th November 2025 was the most common date to be born in north Cumbria.
The quality of the services offered in north Cumbria has been recognised nationally. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated our maternity services as ‘good’ in an inspection carried out as part of its national maternity inspection programme - and we recently achieved national accreditation for year seven of the Maternity Accreditation Scheme. This reflects a strong and ongoing focus on safety and quality, with all ten core safety actions successfully met, including staff training, safe staffing levels and listening to patient feedback.
Patient feedback is also very strong with NCIC performing ‘better than expected’ in key areas of maternity care in the national CQC maternity survey which was published in December 2025. The CQC said: ‘the proportion of women who answered positively as significantly above trust national average.’ The highest scoring areas included ‘being treated with respect and dignity during labour and birth’ and ‘being treated with kindness and compassion during labour and birth’.
Further to the survey, our midwives receive ‘thank you’ cards and emails every day. Abbie and Antony Lund shared their ‘beautiful birth experience’ recently following the birth of their second son, Harrison. Abbie said: “It was everything I could have wanted. Every step was calm, considered and respectful of my wishes. I’ll always be grateful to my midwives Eugene, Abbie and Yvonne for making both of my sons’ births so safe and special.”
Amanda Kennett, Associate Director of Midwifery at NCIC, said: "Midwifery is about so much more than delivering babies. It’s about providing safe care, building trust, supporting families through uncertainty, and being there every step of the way.
“Choice is vital so families need to know that you can give birth where you want to as long as it is safe. We have two obstetric units at the Cumberland Infirmary and West Cumberland Hospital, a birthing centre at Penrith Hospital and we offer the option of a home birth. When you meet your community midwife you can discuss the options with them and they can note your wishes although of course you can change your mind at any time. Whatever your circumstances, we can set up your birthing room in the way you would like.”
Midwife Terri-Anne Jameson, says: “Here at NCIC we are focusing on more personalised care, equity and equality and offering increased choice and collaboration in birth plans.”
Jess Elliott, also a midwife at NCIC, added: “It’s our job to support you to have the birth experience you wish for. We are here to support you, advocate for you and care for you. Ultimately, our priority is to keep you and your baby safe.”
Every day, our midwives support families through some of the most important moments of their lives - offering reassurance, clinical expertise, and kindness when it matters most. From first appointments through to postnatal care, midwives provide continuous, personalised support that has a lasting impact on families and communities.
This year, NCIC is also highlighting how midwives are embracing digital innovation to enhance safety and improve experiences for women and families. Tools such as BadgerNet, a digital maternity records system, are helping midwives deliver more coordinated, accessible and efficient care.
Despite ongoing changes and innovation in healthcare, the core of midwifery remains the same - ensuring safe, personalised care for every woman and family. Midwives continue to play a vital role in promoting positive outcomes and creating supportive environments where families feel informed, confident and cared for.
Amanda added: "We are incredibly proud of our midwifery teams across North Cumbria. Their commitment, compassion, and professionalism make a real difference to the families we care for every day. Achieving a good CQC rating, national accreditation and embracing digital tools like BadgerNet are just some of the ways our teams are continuing to improve and shape the future of maternity services."
We thank all of our midwives for their dedication, expertise, and unwavering commitment to safe, high-quality care.
Families can also learn more about our maternity services and watch virtual tours of our maternity units at : https://www.ncic.nhs.uk/services/maternity