Judges believe a groundbreaking midwife duo have ‘inspired excellence’ after naming them finalists for a prestigious innovation award

Last year, Midwife Stacey Boyle, and Senior Charge Midwife Marianne Hay, of St John's Hospital, Lothian, proudly unveiled their pioneering theatre scrubs, allowing immediate skin-to-skin contact for babies delivered by Caesarean Section.

Judges of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Scotland Awards have now singled out the NHS Lothian pair for their ingenuity in creating the efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable Cozy Cuddle Scrubs (by Stacey)™.

Marianne and Stacey have been named one of three finalists in the ‘Inspiring Excellence — Nursing Innovation and Research Award’ category which spotlights “innovative practice and clinical research leading to positive change for patients, service users and colleagues”.

Since spring 2024, InnoScot Health worked closely with the midwives to realise their ambitions for the innovation to reach hospitals across the UK, possibly even globally, in turn improving neonatal care and outcomes for families.

Alongside ACCORD, NHS Lothian’s Research and Development team, InnoScot Health helped protect and register the design while liaising constantly with the different parties involved to ensure a high level of communication and progress. Cozy Cuddle Scrubs (by Stacey)™ are now well-placed to become more widely available through manufacturing partners.

Regulatory Project Manager at InnoScot Health, Paula Sweeten said: “We are so delighted for Marianne and Stacey. Being announced as finalists represents the culmination of a lot of hard work and dedication, and we know just how much getting to this point means to them. We truly wish them the best of luck.”

Impressed following a stringent interviewing process, judges noted that the scrubs innovation “highlights the power of NHS-led solutions to improve patient outcomes and inspire future healthcare advancements”.

The category winners will be named at a special ceremony taking place at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh on 12 June, while the highly coveted overall RCN Scotland Nurse of the Year 2025 will be selected from the registered nurse winners across the eligible categories.

Julie Lamberth, RCN Scotland Board Chair, commented: “Our Awards are becoming a key moment in the nursing calendar as our time to celebrate all that is great about our profession in Scotland. I’m thrilled with the quantity and quality of the nominations we received, albeit making the judges’ role in shortlisting down to our finalists a momentous task.

“Regardless of the outcome, all our finalists truly demonstrate the daily dedication of nursing staff in delivering the best of nursing care for the people of Scotland."

Marianne and Stacey recognised that skin-to-skin contact helps newborns adjust to life outside the womb by keeping them warm while regulating heart rate and breathing, encouraging babies to look for breasts to start feeding, and assisting with immediate bonding and emotional connection.

With the surgical team focusing on the mum and the completion of the C-Section, birthing partners often step in to provide that much needed contact — but with the newborn placed on their chest and covered with blankets or towels, that does not always effectively sustain or assist in keeping babies warm, meaning they can be at risk of having to be admitted to special care.

Seeking a solution, Marianne and Stacey alighted on the idea of specially adapted scrubs for partners with an accessible covering to allow vital skin-to-skin to take place as soon as the baby is born with the addition of cost-effective, upcycled NHS fleeces as the cosy material and a secure Velcro opening.

Newborns can nestle inside the scrubs and reap all the benefits of life-changing skin-to-skin with fathers/birthing partners until mum/birthing person is able to.