About

I’m proud to have been a midwife for 40 years, with extensive experience in practice (London, Brighton and Australia); research (PhD and national/local projects) and education. I’m so old I even have a senior railcard! I’m currently a Visiting Fellow in the Institute for Life course Development at the University of Greenwich.

Rather than listing any achievements in my long career, I want to jump straight in with an issue that’s close to my heart. Whilst employed as an NHS infant feeding lead specialist midwife in London between 2016 and 2018, it became blindingly obvious that the whole postnatal care system needed a radical overhaul. My proposal to create holistic postnatal care plans for each woman/birthing person was well received by the Trust maternity senior management team but unfortunately there was no funding to test the initiative.

Since then, disturbing reports and national maternity reviews have been published. Professor Mary Renfrew’s report ‘Enabling Safe Quality Midwifery Services and Care in Northern Ireland’, published in October 2024, highlights that improving postnatal care should be a key priority. Although there are some pockets of excellent care across the United Kingdom, the evidence confirms that a whole systems approach to transforming the postnatal care service is urgently needed. I therefore propose a Call to Action and would value your support. Your voice is needed, along with women and birthing people through Maternity Voice Partnerships and in collaboration with Elizabeth Duff (Senior Policy Adviser, NCT) and other stakeholders to inform policy and practice and reduce inequalities.

Please feel welcome to contact me if you’d like to be involved in this Call to Action for urgent improvements in postnatal care.