We are thrilled that our Executive Officer, Sally Ashton-May, has been awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE).
Professor Richard Griffin MBE, chair of the board of Birthrate Plus said – “I am absolutely delighted that Sally’s work has been recognised by this honour. It reflects her career-long commitment to safe and effective care for women and their families and her very significant contribution to maternity workforce policy. I was lucky to be able to work with Sally when she led the development of the first national NHS Maternity Support Worker strategy between 2018 – 2020, and I saw first-hand her leadership skills and focus on ensuring that every one of the maternity team was able to support women as effectively as possible. This award is very well deserved.”
Sally has previously worked as Director of Midwifery, Policy and Practice at the Royal College of Midwives, was National Lead Midwife for Health Education England, regional nursing and midwifery lead and is now leading Birthrate Plus.
Sally commented on her MBE recognition and said – “I am honoured and truly humbled to be awarded an MBE for my contribution to midwifery. This recognition reflects the collective effort of many colleagues and teams I have had the privilege to work alongside, as none of this work is ever achieved alone. At its heart, my work has always been about improving outcomes for women and families and strengthening the midwifery profession. I am sincerely grateful to those who nominated me and to everyone who continues to support this work. In my current role as Executive Officer at Birthrate Plus, working alongside our team, I remain committed to advancing safe, sustainable maternity services through collaboration and evidence-based practice”