Julie Wills is a Midwife at St Michael’s Hospital in Bristol. 

For the last 10 years, Julie has been a qualified Midwife and prior to that worked as a Healthcare Assistant for many years supporting midwifery teams. After one of her first experiences of caring for a bereaved family, she knew she wanted to be there for people to help them through their birth and beyond.  

She was nominated for the Elaine Thorp Award for Bereavement Care by two family members; bereaved mum, Natalie and  grandparent, Julie.  

In her nomination, Natalie described how Midwife Julie tailored the care she provided to both her, and her husband and family. 

She said: “Immediately on arrival to the delivery suite, she asked if I needed a hug, it was the exact thing I needed. She was amazing, everything she did was tailored to how we needed to be handled. She became like family. 

“She understood our needs immediately and adapted her care to suit us. She referred to us as ‘mum and dad’ when talking about us, as she knew and appreciated that one of my heartbreaks was that I felt we would no longer be parents, and she was quick to dismiss this and say that we would always be this baby’s parents no matter what.” 

After their daughter Aurora’s arrival, Julie continued to be Natalie’s ‘rock’. 

Natalie and her partner went on to have their ‘rainbow baby’ a year later, with Julie supporting them during early labour and after the baby’s arrival. 

The second nomination came from bereaved grandparent Julie, (Natalie’s mum) who described the Midwife as her family’s ‘guardian angel’ whilst they navigated the worst journey. 

Grandparent Julie said: “The worst thing to hear is that your child is going to have to give birth to a much wanted, long awaited baby who has passed away in utero, without being able to help. 

“We will always be grateful for Julie being assigned to the delivery. She arrived like a shining light at my daughter’s hour of need. She created a haven when all around felt threatening and created a cocoon for my daughter and son in law to deliver, meet and grieve for their child.” 

On being nominated and shortlisted for the award, Julie said: “I was taken aback to be nominated by a bereaved family that I have had the honour to look after and care for at a very emotional and life changing time. I feel humbled that I would have made such an impression on these families that they feel I need to be acknowledged for it.  

“I am also surprised, however also privileged, to receive the recognition from the Sands panel, as I am sure all of the nominees are worthy. I always say my job can be the best job in the world and it can be the worst job in the world, but I know that when I walk into the room, I am going to provide my best care and hopefully guide each and every family through the journey that awaits them.”