Scotland's Health Awards 2026: The 'compassionate' midwife who helped pregnant patient escape domestic abuse
Nominations are open for the Midwife of the Year honour at the 2026 Scotland’s Health Awards.
Maternity care has often made headlines for the wrong reasons in recent weeks, but every day thousands of women’s lives are touched by the quiet and compassionate work of the nation’s midwives.
Midwifery is undoubtedly one of the busiest jobs in healthcare, and the role extends far beyond delivering babies.
The expertise and compassion provided to new mums during pregnancy, labour and in the first few days after childbirth can be transformative, playing huge part in how women experience the early stages of motherhood.
The country’s outstanding midwives are recognised every year as part of the prestigious Scotland’s Health Awards, hosted by The Scotsman, which spotlight the unsung heroes of the NHS who have made a lasting difference to the lives of patients, families and communities.
One of those heroes is Lucy Duns, a community midwife at NHS Lothian, who won the Midwife of the Year award at last year’s glittering ceremony in Edinburgh.
Ms Duns has demonstrated an extraordinary level of care to her patients throughout her career, and according to her employer goes “far beyond” what is required of her when providing routine maternity care.
In one stand-out example, Ms Duns was able to spot the subtle signs that one of her pregnant patients was experiencing domestic abuse.
As if it was one of her own relatives or loved ones in her patient’s shoes, the midwife took the time to facilitate private, compassionate conversations with her about what she was experiencing, and managed to connect her specialist domestic abuse services.
Through her extra visits and support Ms Duns helped her patient escape a dangerous situation, and ensure she felt as safe and in control as possible ahead of giving birth.
Ms Duns was nominated for her work alongside seven other inspiring midwives and teams from across Scotland, such as the Bereavement Team from NHS Ayrshire & Arran which provides dedicated care for families experiencing pregnancy or baby loss.
The Midwife Award is sponsored by the Royal College of Midwives. The category has recognised midwives from a range of medical settings, like 2024’s winner Melissa Lindsay who was awarded for her outstanding work as a midwife and sonographer in the tight-knit community on Orkney.
Scotland’s Health Awards 2026, hosted by The Scotsman in partnership with NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government, will be held on November 12 at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange. Over 400 guests from across Scotland are expected to attend the glittering awards ceremony to see the awards being handed out.
There are 16 awards up for grabs in total, all designed to recognise the frontline health and social care workers and celebrate those who work hard behind the scenes to make sure patients across the country get the highest level of care possible.
Nominations for the awards, including the Midwife of the Year award, are now open. You can make your nomination here.
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