Hilary Alba (nee Burt) wins Midwife of the Year at Scottish Health Awards

It was announced on November 2, 2018 that former pupil Hilary Alba (nee Burt), who attended St Margaret’s from 1984 to 1989, has won Midwife of the Year at the Scottish Health Awards. Many congratulations to you Hilary!

To quote the Daily Record:
Midwife Hilary Alba is dedicated to working with some of the most vulnerable women in society as they prepare to bring a new life into the world. She’s been the special needs in pregnancy team leader at Glasgow’s Princess Royal Maternity Hospital since March 2016.

Hilary said: “My own personal case load is asylum seekers and trafficked women, and I’m also the lead for female genital mutilation. The rest of the team deal with a lot of other vulnerabilities as well, so we help women who have addictions, severe mental health problems or HIV, complex teenagers and the homeless. We are a very small team – there are only eight of us. What makes our service so good is that the women know us.”

The special needs in pregnancy service in Glasgow is the only one of its kind in Scotland.

Hilary said: “I’ve done other midwifery jobs in the past but this is just really where I want to be. I have never had so much back from the clients that I look after than I do now.”

Hilary said she was overwhelmed by her nomination for the Midwife Award at this year’s Scottish Health Awards. She added: “I was speechless when I found out, which is very unusual for a midwife. We are very rarely speechless”.