London midwife celebrates 50 years of NHS service

A senior midwife at a south-east London hospital is retiring this week after 50 years of service to the NHS.

Ann Gibbs, who works at Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH), began her NHS career in September 1975, as part of an experimental fast-track programme at Northwick Park Hospital in Harrow.

In her first four years she completed her nursing qualification and qualified as a midwife at Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester, where she delivered 40 babies in one year.

Head of midwifery at PRUH, Clare Baker, said Ann has "consistently been at the forefront of innovation".

"From being one of the first midwives to complete the Newborn and Infant Physical Examination course (NIPE), to introducing mobile phones, and helping establish postnatal clinics, she has been a font of knowledge for her colleagues," she added.

Gibbs worked at hospitals across London, Kent and Winchester including King's College Hospital, where she trained midwives in theatre practice as a sister on the labour ward.

She became an employee of King's College NHS Foundation Trust in 2013 when it took over Queen Mary's Hospital from South London Healthcare NHS Trust.

"The families we work with are very different now. When I began working as a midwife, many women were having children in their teens and early twenties, and now we see more people who are in their thirties and forties," said Gibbs.

"This sets us more challenges, but we are there to help and support them. If we deliver good antenatal care, then we are limiting the complexities of what can happen when in labour."

Ann played a pivotal leadership role during major NHS organisational restructures and helped to redesign community services across Greenwich, Bromley and Bexley, the PRUH said.

Gibbs said: "I love the continuity of what I've been doing.

"On more than one occasion I've seen multiple generations of a family. When I started as a community midwife, I supported a woman with her five children and went on to see her children have their own children.

"The family recently invited me over and we all spent some time together."

Tracey Carter, chief nurse and executive director of midwifery at King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust which runs PRUH, said: "Ann's career reflects five decades of dedication, leadership, and commitment to improving care for women and families.

"Her contribution to community midwifery and the NHS is truly inspiring."

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and follow BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hello.bbclondon@bbc.co.uk