A UWS student who has campaigned for better funding for Scottish maternity services and student midwives is a finalist at an upcoming national nursing awards.

Isla Innes-Love - a third-year student midwife at UWS - has been nominated for “Student Midwife of the Year” and “Outstanding Contribution to Student Affairs” at The Student Nursing Times Awards.

Taking place in London on Friday 2 May 2025, the Student Nursing Times Awards highlight the most innovative, impactful, and inspiring individuals, organisations in the nursing and midwifery sector.

The Student Midwife of the Year award aims to recognise an outstanding student midwife and to celebrate the understanding and communication skills needed in this field – from clinical skills to academic achievement, as well as interpersonal skills, which underpin the treatment of this patient group and relate to their families.

The winner will have a broad understanding of the range of conditions and contraindications related to midwifery care and will demonstrate excellent clinical skills to ensure best is delivered at all times throughout antenatal, birth and postnatal care.

Isla has been nominated in this category for being a huge advocate for midwifery and offering culturally sensitive, compassionate and empathetic care. She represents midwifery on a local and national level with the external work she does outwith the expected parameters of her degree and puts communication and respect at the forefront of everything she does both within midwifery and outside of it.

The Outstanding Contribution to Student Affairs award recognises a student who has made an exceptional contribution to student affairs during their time at university.

Isla has been nominated in this category for the way she has championed student midwives, through working with the Royal College of Midwives, to recognise the individualised situations of student midwives and campaign for improved student finances on a local and national level.

She has represented student midwives in Scottish Parliament on two occasions to discuss the pressing need for funding for Scottish maternity services and student midwives, aims to improve their experiences through her work with the RCM and the University’s midwifery society.

Discussing her nominations, Isla said: “I am very excited to be one of only a few shortlisted from Scotland and to be given the opportunity to share some of the work I've done on behalf of students. It's been such a privilege to study midwifery and support families and to be recognised for that, alongside my work with our midwifery society and other organisations, is so rewarding.”

Accompanying Isla at the award ceremony from UWS will be James Taylor, Head of Division for Midwifery at UWS.

Commenting on Isla’s achievement, James said: “On behalf of the School of Health and Life Sciences and wider UWS community, we are thrilled that Isla’s hard work and dedication to midwifery – both in her studies and in her wider endeavours – are being recognised with these two very deserved award nominations. Isla embodies many of the goals and values we hope to instil in our students and in our future midwives who then enter the workforce, supporting women and their families during incredibly important times in their lives. Congratulations, Isla, and I look forward to supporting you at the awards.”

Isla embodies many of the goals and values we hope to instil in our students and in our future midwives who then enter the workforce, supporting women and their families during incredibly important times in their lives.

James Taylor, Head of Division for Midwifery at UWS

Julie Edgar, Dean of the School of Health and Life Sciences at UWS, said: “Congratulations, Isla, on your nominations for the upcoming Student Nursing Times Awards. Your dedication to your studies and the wider midwifery profession is incredibly inspiring and I wish you the best of luck at the awards ceremony.”