Leading healthcare innovation agency InnoScot Health is joining others around the world in supporting International Day of the Midwife this Tuesday (5 May) by championing its role in helping to inspire fresh ideas for improvement

This annual opportunity to highlight the enormous daily contribution made by midwives to healthcare is a vital one — and a chance to foster innovative approaches which improve quality and person‑centred care for enhanced outcomes.

InnoScot Health believes the day can be instrumental in empowering staff who have progressive ideas to seek collaborative support in ensuring the right care is provided for every woman and baby, while giving all children the best possible start in life.

The organisation has continued to work closely with NHS Lothian midwives who innovated in encouraging vital skin-to-skin contact for newborn babies through a breakthrough scrubs design.

Marianne Hay and Stacey Boyle of St John’s Hospital are keen to see the unique design of Cozy Cuddle Scrubs (by Stacey)™ become embedded into everyday healthcare, allowing patients to reap the benefits.

The pair made headlines last year for their role in helping to create the game-changing solution which is poised to revolutionise neonatal care and improve outcomes for newborns.

The specially modified theatre scrubs enable birthing partners to step in and provide immediate, warming skin-to-skin contact with their newborns after a caesarean section while the surgical team focus on the mum and completion of the procedure.

While skin-to-skin with birthing partners is not a replacement for the mum but an interim measure, the scrubs — composed of cost-effective, upcycled NHS fleeces — help to keep the temperature and breathing of newborn babies at a consistent level, which means fewer interventions.

They further assist with immediate bonding for positive birth experiences — and are assisting in realising a reduction in admissions to the neonatal unit at St John’s Hospital.

The original idea from Senior Charge Midwife, Marianne, and Elective Section Midwife, Stacey, was developed alongside the NHS Lothian’s Research and Development team, ACCORD, with InnoScot Health assisting in protecting, registering the design, and ensuring a high level of communication and progress across all parties.

Head of Innovation Commercialisation at InnoScot Health, Gillian Henderson said: “International Day of the Midwife underlines the challenges which these key professionals continuously overcome, but also the opportunities they have to make a real difference to those in their care.

“We believe that their ideas for improvement can be just the start of an exciting journey to frontline deployment, bringing in innovation expertise every step of the way in order to help balance work and life demands and ease the process.

“We are proud to be assisting Cozy Cuddle Scrubs (by Stacey)™ as part of its team of collaborators and believe Marianne and Stacey are an inspiration to others.

“Indeed, much of the scrubs’ progress has been testament to their belief in collaborative drive and determination.”

This year’s International Day of the Midwife theme of ‘One Million More Midwives’ is considered more vital than ever by organisers The International Confederation of Midwives (ICM).

It insists that “globally, there are not enough midwives, and many of the ones we do have are not enabled to work to their full scope of practice”.

ICM believes the day is “a major moment to push the One Million More Midwives petition” and call for collective action.

Gillian added: “Tuesday is an opportunity to foreground the debt of gratitude which we owe to Scotland’s midwives as well as the vast potential which the profession has to drive positive change.”

Healthcare pioneers with ideas for improving midwifery practices are encouraged by InnoScot Health to book a consultation or submit their idea.