2025 Excellence in Midwifery

Carli Beange

Carli is an experienced endorsed Midwife and the Midwifery Unit Manager (MUM) at Midwifery Birthing Centred based at Bentley Health Service (BHS), a role she describes as a personal milestone, fulfilling, and one she is proud to hold. Carli was the first endorsed midwife in WA and is recognised as a trailblazer working tirelessly to promote the profession and reshape the future of midwifery led continuity of care. Her MUM role evolved from a project role to develop the current pioneering model of care that re-introduced midwifery services to BHS. Carli has led from the front, and it is anticipated 300 births will be supported annually making a difference to women and families in the community. Carli’s influencing and networking skills enabled her to engage with stakeholders and take them on a journey to develop a suitable model of care which is truly midwifery led. She did face many challenges, however each time she ensured the solution featured the women and their families at the centre. In a groundbreaking step in contemporary midwifery care Carli spearheaded the credentialing process for endorsed midwives to admit women into the BHS, facilitating them to work to their full scope of practice. As such, she ensures the provision of advanced and complex care for women and babies and states that witnessing the joy and satisfaction of the families served reaffirms her belief in the importance and value of midwife-led care.

Sian Skillcorn

Sian was proud to be the first direct entry midwife appointed a permanent position in a tertiary maternity hospital birth suite and continues to be dedicated to advancing the midwifery profession. This is exemplified through her exceptional work ethic and passion to “be with women”, providing respectful and culturally appropriate maternity care by supporting women through their most vulnerable yet rewarding life experiences. Sian currently serves as the Clinical Midwife Educator for WA Country Health Service where she plays a pivotal role in enhancing clinical standards, improving care quality, and fostering multidisciplinary professional development and teamwork with maternity services. Supporting over 300 midwives and 150 obstetric and neonatal medical practitioners Sian ensures all have access to comprehensive, evidence-based training and professional development opportunities. She achieves this by fostering a positive, compassionate workplace culture, inspiring colleagues to strive for excellence in care standards with a shared goal to improve maternal and newborn outcomes for all country families. Having visited 10 or WACHS’s 18 maternity sites, Sian recognised the logistical challenges of providing consistent, high-quality education across geographically dispersed regions and has pioneered the innovative use of video conferencing for neonatal resuscitation simulation training which has been showcased at a national conference. Sian’s passion for teaching does not stop with others, she has recently completed postgraduate studies in Health Professions Education and is excited to use her new found expertise to develop new midwives, support existing midwives to grow, and expand excellence in maternal and newborn care for WACHS.

Jane-Anne Gardner

Jane-Anne is a Clinical Midwife Diabetes Educator and Midwife Educator at the Women and Newborn Health Service providing assistance, clinical support and education to women living with diabetes. In addition, she plays a key role in orienting and educating new staff and graduate midwives. Jane-Anne is dedicated to advancing diabetes education and aims to help establish the WNHS Diabetes Service as the state-wide resource for diabetes care during preconception and pregnancy, advocating for greater access to midwifery-led care to improve outcomes for all women. Being awarded the Clinical Service Improvement Project grant in 2024 to complete her “Improving Maternal and Fetal Pregnancy Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes” was a proud career moment for Jane-Anne. This demonstrates her passion to ensure women in her care are supported, respected, and empowered. Jane-Anne quickly develops strong relationships with women in her care to enable them to be at the centre of all decision-making processes, facilitating the births they desire, and is touched by every photo and Thank You she receives in return. Jane-Anne is also a member of multiple working groups, networks and projects collaborating with executive and management teams to ensure compliance with midwifery standards and practices, advocate for optimal nurse-to-patient and midwife-to-patient ratios and promote staff well-being. All while pursuing a doctorate.