Published 25 November 2022
Call the Midwife actress Linda Bassett met midwives at Jersey General Hospital’s Maternity Unit yesterday (24 November 2022), in celebration of her leading role as Patron of maternity safety charity Baby Lifeline and Ambassador for its Ukraine Appeal.
Linda, who stars as Nurse Phyllis Crane in BBC One’s long-running period drama series about a group of midwives working in 1950s and 1960s London, talked to the team of modern-day midwives, finding out about their work caring for mothers, birthing people, and babies in Jersey’s maternity service.
Also known for her appearances on-stage, in films including Calendar Girls and East is East, and in television series including Larkrise to Candleford and Sense and Sensibility, Linda was joined at Jersey General Hospital by members of the Baby Lifeline Team.
She was accompanied by Judy Ledger, Founder and Chief Executive of Baby Lifeline, and Andrea Fraser, a human rights lawyer and humanitarian volunteer, who has this month returned to the UK following a three-week aid and fundraising mission to Ukraine on behalf of the charity.
Baby Lifeline has formed a strong relationship with the maternity team at Jersey General Hospital over the last decade, with the charity also working closely with local baby loss charity Philip’s Footprints.
Midwives on the island have taken part in ongoing professional development through Baby Lifeline Training and were instrumental in the development of the charity’s specialist birth bags, which are now used to safely deliver babies across the UK and further afield – including in Ukraine.
Linda’s visit Jersey General Hospital’s maternity unit was timed to celebrate nine months of working with Jersey Overseas Aid (JOA), a major supporter of the charity’s Ukraine Appeal.
Since the war in Ukraine began in February 2022, Baby Lifeline and its supporters have donated £500,000 worth of maternity safety equipment – including Baby Lifeline’s specialist birth bags, defibrillators, fetal dopplers, personal protective equipment (PPE), stretchers and blankets – to teams working in some of the most dangerous areas of the country.
Jersey’s official publicly funded relief and development agency, JOA, has made significant donations to Baby Lifeline’s Ukraine Appeal, enabling the safe delivery of thousands of babies in frontline areas including Bucha, Chernihiv, Sumy, Irpin, Kharkiv, Kyiv and Vorzel.
During the visit, Linda, Andrea, and Judy – along with Jan Auffret, Acting Director of Midwifery, and her team at Jersey General Hospital – reflected on the experiences of midwives and doctors in Ukraine, who are delivering babies in bunkers and makeshift hospitals, surrounded by the sound of missiles and artillery fire.
Linda Bassett, Call the Midwife actress and Baby Lifeline Ukraine Appeal Ambassador, said:
“It’s always such a pleasure to meet midwives having spent years portraying nurse midwife Phyllis Crane, so I was very much looking forward to getting to know the incredible maternity team at Jersey General Hospital.
“Baby Lifeline’s visit to Jersey is about marking nine-months since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, and the charity’s ongoing provision of life-saving maternity equipment to those working in unimaginably difficult circumstances in the country’s frontline areas.
“I’m very proud to be a Patron of Baby Lifeline, and an ambassador for the development of its specialist birth bags and its Ukraine Appeal. As such, it’s important for myself and the rest of the Baby Lifeline team to be able visit Jersey and to thank Jersey Overseas Aid in person. Their support has been crucial.”
Jan Auffret, Acting Director of Midwifery, said:
“We’re delighted that Baby Lifeline and its patron Linda Bassett visited us on the unit. Over the years, we have benefitted from the generosity of Baby Lifeline and its partnership with Philip’s Footprints as they have helped supply us with a range of equipment and resources as well as professional training. We enjoyed hearing about the work Baby Lifeline is doing in Ukraine and I know the midwives were very interested to talk to Linda about filming Call the Midwife.”
Deputy Carolyn Labey, Jersey’s Minister for International Development, said:
“Jersey is very proud to support Baby Lifeline’s work in Ukraine, which enables babies to be delivered safely when expectant mothers don’t have access to hospitals and clinics.
“According to the WHO, Russia has attacked healthcare facilities and ambulances almost 700 times since the beginning of the war. Our support and Baby Lifeline’s innovative maternity bags means that mothers and babies can be supported with lifesaving equipment and drugs even in bomb shelters and basements.”
Judy Ledger, Founder and Chief Executive of Baby Lifeline, said:
“This visit to Jersey has been an important event for Baby Lifeline. Our Ukraine Appeal would not have reached anywhere near as many mothers, birthing people, and newborn babies without the support of Jersey Overseas Aid. The team there quickly recognised the need to reach those who are giving birth in terrifying circumstances and to ensure they are cared for as safely as possible.
“Bringing our Patron Linda Bassett to Jersey General Hospital’s maternity unit, where she spent time talking to members of the team and talking about her experiences on Call the Midwife, is one way for us to express our thanks to all of our supporters in Jersey. Individuals and organisations on the island have been involved in our work within the UK for a long time now; and they have got behind our Ukraine Appeal in a major way.”
For up-to-date information about Baby Lifeline’s Ukraine Appeal, click here.
