Shrewsbury mum trains as midwife thanks to volunteer scheme

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Bailey Thompson is training as a midwife after completing a volunteer scheme

A mother whose daughter was born prematurely is retraining as a midwife.

Bailey Thompson, from Shrewsbury, was inspired to take part in the 'Volunteer to Career' scheme that helps people get work experience in healthcare.

The project is piloted by charity Helpforce and has 48 NHS organisations across England taking part.

"It gave me a chance to see if [midwifery] was a real passion, and it was," Bailey said.

Bailey, who grew up in Kansas, USA, lives in Shrewsbury with her husband and two daughters.

In 2023, her second daughter Sophie was born prematurely at just 33 weeks and 6 days at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.

While Sophie was being looked after on the neonatal ward, Bailey said she was in and out of the hospital for seven weeks.

The 36-year-old former business recruiter had previously wondered about becoming a midwife, and remembered asking staff about shift patterns and workloads before coming across a poster for the Volunteer to Career scheme.

"I'm not super spiritual or anything but I felt that it was a sign meant for me," she said.

Bailey applied for the programme that day - even completing the interview whilst at the hospital with her daughter.

"It just took me into this journey that I didn't really know existed because it allowed me to dip my toes into the water," she said.

Bailey Thompson's daughter Sophie was born prematurely at 33 weeks and 6 days

Volunteer to Career aims to address recruitment issues in the health services by helping people without prior knowledge of healthcare gain the skills and experience needed to apply for jobs or courses.

Over six months, participants complete a minimum of 50 hours of volunteering alongside hospital staff, but they can do more - Bailey estimates she volunteered close to 200 hours in total.

They are also offered extra classes on clinical skills, like suturing and interview techniques to assist with future job or university applications.

Julia Clarke, the Director of Public Participation at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust, said the scheme has been a triumph.

Julia Clarke said most of the volunteers in Shropshire have gone on to train as healthcare workers

"The success rate of people going on to work in the NHS or study for an NHS role is about 80% - but ours [in Shropshire] is even higher," she said.

Ms Clarke added that the volunteer cohorts have been "really enthusiastic", with most volunteering more than the 50-hour minimum.

Feedback from participants and existing NHS staff has been "universally positive", she noted.

"It just gives people an insight into the wider aspects of the NHS."

Ms Thompson is now in her first year of studying midwifery at the University of Staffordshire - all thanks to the vital experience she gained as a volunteer.

"I really love getting to support women through this time - you're at this precipice of life with them," she said.

"It's also about supporting people through the difficult times [...] and finding that compassion to sit beside someone in silence when they don't have the words."

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