All at the British Journal of Midwifery (BJM) were saddened to hear of the passing of our wonderful former consultant editor, Corina Casey-Hardman, on 10 August 2022. Corina had retired as head of midwifery at the Bridgewater Community Trust in Liverpool and as the consultant editor at the BJM. During her tenure at the BJM, she worked tirelessly to ensure the journal reflected the very best the midwifery profession had to offer.
Corina was born in Ireland but moved to Liverpool, where she married and raised her family. She leaves behind her husband Ronnie, as well as her son, daughter and granddaughter, all of whom she dearly loved.
Corina's midwifery career was hugely successful, in no small part because of her hard work, ethics, compassion and commitment. She was always dedicated to mothers, babies and their families. She extended these attributes to all those she worked with throughout her career and life.
Corina was a caring and kind midwife with a fabulous sense of humour. She had vast knowledge and experience of midwifery and, as a midwifery leader, was valued locally, regionally and nationally. She used her skills to strive for continuous improvement in maternity care and services wherever she worked.
Corina was a member of the Royal College of Midwives (RCM), with additional roles on their council and ethics committee, as well as a role as an RCM pension trustee. As if that was not enough to keep her busy, she was also Chair of the RCM's national heads of midwifery forum, doing her utmost to influence and promote positive change for midwives and maternity care. She was always keen to debate how to ensure we have the right number of midwives, how we might improve their working lives and the future of midwifery as a profession. She was also a passionate advocate for student midwives and their education and experiences.
At times, heads of midwifery discussions were intense, even heated, and they were always passionate, but by the end of the meetings, everyone left with a strong feeling of support and positivity, as they had come together and aired their views. Corina would always finish these meetings with a little piece of Irish banter, leaving heads of midwifery feeling ready for the fresh challenges that lay ahead.
Corina was loved and highly thought of by her team at Bridgewater in Liverpool. She was immensely proud of her team, particularly the fact that they were the only remaining community-led maternity service in England. The team regarded her as ‘their friend, as well as a wonderful colleague and leader’. Unfortunately, this service was subsequently disbanded in November 2021, a decision that greatly saddened her.
Corina contributed regularly to the BJM on many subjects. In 2020, she wrote an insightful article entitled ‘how far we have come’ that perfectly encapsulated the legacy that Corina has left for the midwifery profession, mothers, their families and all involved maternity care. She encouraged midwives ‘to take time to enjoy…tranquility, to enable [them] to have time to heal, reflect and take stock of the important things in life’. She asked them to ‘make use of…wellbeing apps and creative tools…and remind yourself that you have achieved something great…because of [midwives’] resilience, women babies and families have been supported and are confident to face the future—whatever it holds’.
Quotes from the book of condolence dedicated to Corina from midwives, colleagues and friends eloquently convey what she meant to them and to the midwifery profession. She was ‘vibrant, funny and quick witted’, ‘a very caring compassionate and dedicated professional’. These quotes are available to read online: https://rip.ie/death-notice/corina-casey-hardman-kilbeggan-westmeath/504743.
RIP Corina. With love, the Editorial Board of the British Journal of Midwifery.