Judy founded Baby Lifeline in 1981 after losing her first three babies, all born prematurely. At the time, Judy was a state registered nurse, working in an accident and emergency intensive therapy unit (ITU), cardio thoracic ITU, and neurosurgery ITU.

As a sanity plan, Judy started Baby Lifeline – now a national charity. To date, Baby Lifeline has raised millions of pounds to provide maternity safety equipment, and to supply training to those working in the maternity sector. Training is always up-to-the-minute and based on national findings and recommendations to improve mortality and morbidity in maternity services.

She also founded Baby Lifeline Training Ltd in 2008 – a thriving not for profit social enterprise, working via a service level agreement with Baby Lifeline the charity, to provide the training services.

Judy has received widespread recognition for her work in maternity safety over four decades. In 1994, she was awarded an Honorary Master’s Degree from University of Coventry, for her work supporting women’s and children’s health.

She was awarded a national Pride of Britain Award as ‘Fundraiser of the Year’ in 2010, was named in The Independent on Sunday’s ‘Happy List’ as one of the top 100 people who make Britain a happier place in 2011; and was one of the winners of the Forum3 ‘Alternative Rich List’, which recognises individuals who enrich other people’s lives in ways money can’t.

In June 2019, Judy was honoured to receive a Distinguished Service Medal from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists for her dedication and achievement in the development of women’s healthcare. In 2023, Judy was awarded an MBE in The King’s Birthday Honours List for services to Pregnant Women and Newborn Babies.

Dr Denise Chaffer is an Executive Clinical Nursing / Maternity Patient Safety leader with over 15 years Executive Director Board level experience, including providers, commissioning, two Acute Trusts, a London Teaching hospital and recent National role for Patient Safety.

She has published a range of learning resources for maternity, just and learning culture, and Emergency care. She chaired the Independent Maternity and Neonatal review of Swansea Bay University Health Board which was published in July 2025. She was previously National Director lead for establishing the Early Notification in maternity and the CNST maternity incentive scheme.

She was President of Royal College of Nursing (RCN) July 2021 – December 2022. She has significant experience at working at international, national and regional level within acute and community settings, nursing, midwifery, education, governance, clinical risk and also on major change and reconfiguration initiatives.

She was awarded a CBE in 2023 and an RCN Fellowship in 2024. She holds a PhD, a Master’s degree in Management and Social Care, a BA degree, plus a Higher Education Teaching qualification.

Sue has worked in the NHS since 1983, after initially starting her career as a librarian. Sue trained as a nurse, then midwife and worked clinically for over 15 years before developing her interest in organisational development and learning.

Sue worked as an Executive Director in a Teaching Trust before moving to become the Lead Improvement Director for NHSI in 2015. For five years Sue worked with Trusts in Quality and Financial Special Measures and in 2019, she became the National Director for Intensive Support.

In June 2022, Sue joined Advancing Quality Alliance (Aqua) as its new Chief Executive Officer. Sue believes it is more ‘how’ we go about supporting organisations than ‘what’ we do as a key part to enabling organisations to learn how to improve and sustain improvement, based upon clear leadership and the application of improvement science aligned to clear governance.

In 2024 Sue moved into the Chair role at Aqua and in 2025 she was appointed to the Maternity and Neonatal Assurance Assessment Oversight Panel – a newly formed expert group tasked with evaluating the safety and quality of maternity and neonatal services across Wales.

Clea is the Chief Executive of Sands, which works to save babies’ lives and to support bereaved parents and families.

Clea is also currently the Chair of the Maternity and Neonatal Programme Stakeholder Council and she sits on the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce. She is Chair of the National Bereavement Care Pathway; Co-Chair of the Smoking in Pregnancy Challenge Group; and Chair of the Baby Loss Awareness Alliance.

With growing public awareness of the issues surrounding baby death and pregnancy loss, and a national commitment to reduce the number of babies dying, she passionately believes that now is the moment to make a difference for parents today and in the future.

Cathy, a mother of two, has been dedicated to improving maternity services for over a decade, since the birth of her youngest child.

With a background in biochemistry, business, and visual communications, she has represented service users on the Greater Manchester & Eastern Cheshire LMNS board since its inception in 2017.

She also contributes to NHS England’s Maternity and Neonatal Programme, playing a key role in drafting the Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership Guidance. Cathy has most recently been appointed to the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce, as chair of the service user voice representatives expert reference group.

Cathy is committed to supporting the NHS in providing personalised, safe, and equitable maternity and neonatal care, ensuring services are co-produced with those who use them.

Rachael Buabeng is the Founder and CEO of Mummy's Day Out, a multi-award-winning community organisation supporting mothers through connection, empowerment and peer support. A maternal health advocate, author, speaker and community leader, Rachael brings extensive experience of working alongside women, families, healthcare services, researchers and community organisations to improve maternal health and wellbeing.

A Hyperemesis Gravidarum survivor and advocate, Rachael draws on both her lived experience and her work across maternity and perinatal services to amplify the voices of women and families, particularly those whose experiences are often overlooked. She is passionate about ensuring that lived experience, community insight and research engagement help shape safer, more equitable and meaningful change across maternity and neonatal services.

Professor Ngozi Edi-Osagie is a consultant neonatologist and the National Clinical Director for Neonatal care for NHS England.

In this role, she is responsible for promoting high-quality, safe care for babies and their families, while supporting the Government’s objective of reducing stillbirths, neonatal deaths, brain injuries and pre-term births.

She is the neonatal representative on the NHS Race and Health Observatory.

She played a significant role in the transformation of neonatal services which led to significant improvements in neonatal care. She chairs the neonatal clinical reference group and co-chairs the national neonatal board.

Benash Nazmeen MBE, RM, BSc, MSc, FHEA, FRCM is an Assistant Professor of Midwifery, researcher and national leader in maternity health equity.

She is Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Association of South Asian Midwives C.I.C (ASAM) and a member of the National Maternity Review Health Equity Expert Reference Group, helping to shape national recommendations to improve equity and maternity outcomes.

Benash has advised national organisations on maternity safety, health inequalities and culturally safe care, including previously serving as a CQC Specialist Advisor and as a panellist for the MBRRACE-UK Perinatal panel. Her work bridges research, regulation, education and community leadership to support evidence-informed system change.

Shirley Peterson is Chief Midwife / Divisional Nurse at Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, providing senior professional leadership across Maternity, Neonatal, Children Young People Gynaecology and Sexual Health services.

She has extensive clinical, operational and strategic leadership experience, with a strong focus on improving quality, safety, workforce culture and the experience of colleagues, women, birthing people and families.

Across her career, Shirley has held senior nursing and midwifery posts in London. As Deputy Chief Nurse and Head of Midwifery at Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, she led maternity improvement work that contributed to the service achieving a Care Quality Commission rating of ‘Good’, having previously been rated ‘Requires Improvement’.

A consistent thread throughout Shirley’s career is her commitment to compassionate, inclusive leadership. She is passionate about ensuring that women and birthing people receive safe, personalised and respectful care, and that staff are supported and empowered to deliver excellence.

Gill Walton is the Royal College of Midwives’ Chief Executive and General Secretary. Gill is an experienced and acknowledged midwifery leader.

Her focus at the RCM is to advocate for members as both a trade union and a professional association, ensuring that members are supported throughout their career and ensure their voices are heard by policy makers, employers and other stakeholders.

Her passion for promoting a multidisciplinary respectful working through One Voice, with the RCOG and other partners, is role modelling an approach essential to maternity safety and improvement.

Before joining the RCM, she was the Director of Midwifery and Maternity Services at Portsmouth Hospitals and held similar posts at the Royal Berkshire Hospitals, Barking and Havering and Redbridge, and the John Radcliffe in Oxford. Gill has led many NHS transformation programmes for maternity services and has been involved in national strategic policy developments.

Dr Alison Wright is a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist in London and the President of the RCOG.

Previously, as Vice-President of the RCOG, she helped to develop the RCOG’s ‘green top’ guidelines. She also set up and led the RCOG’s ‘Supporting our Doctors’ programme and was the clinical representative on the RCOG’s Women’s Network.

Dr Wright was subsequently a National Specialty Adviser in Obstetrics for NHS England, where she led on personalised care and informed choice. She then chaired NHS England’s maternity and neonatal Stakeholder Council, bringing together representatives from pregnancy charities and bereaved families.

She is currently the lead Obstetrician/Gynaecologist at the HCA Portland Hospital in London. Dr Wright advises WHO and FIGO on post-partum haemorrhage and other aspects of global women’s health.

Dr Wright is committed to improving maternity services by collaboration, supporting provision of evidence-based care, high quality training, and involving women and their families in their care at every level.

Alexander Heazell is Professor of Obstetrics and Director of the Tommy’s Stillbirth Research Centre, University of Manchester, UK and the Regional Lead Obstetrician for the North-West of England.

His research portfolio includes basic science, clinical and qualitative research studies to gain better understanding of the causes of placental dysfunction, to prevent stillbirth and improve care for parents after stillbirth or perinatal death.

He is the national lead for Rainbow Clinic, a specialist clinical service for parents in pregnancy after loss.

He has received over £6M of grant income and has published over 250 research papers. He was the lead investigator for the MiNESS case control study and national evaluation of Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle.

He is on the national steering group of the Perinatal Mortality Review Tool in the UK.

Dr Christine Ekechi, a Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London, is also a women’s health educator and advocate.

Her interest is in the gender and racial disparities continually present within the health system today. Dr Ekechi is the Co-Chair of the Race Equality Taskforce at the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists and also their spokesperson for racial equality.

Dr Ekechi holds a Masters in Reproductive Health Research from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and her previous experience includes working with the UN, UNICEF, and national governments in the UK, Nigeria, Senegal, Malawi and Kenya.

Using this extensive experience, Dr Ekechi is particularly interested in the social drivers that underpin inequity in individual health outcomes, health knowledge and education and healthcare delivery.

Dr Georgia Richards is an Epidemiologist and Health Research Scientist at King’s College London where she holds an AI+ Academic Senior Fellowship.

In 2020 she founded the Preventable Deaths Tracker, the first national vigilance platform that enables learning following avoidable deaths.

Her research intersects health, justice, policy, and informatics, focusing on public and patient safety by understanding how to prevent premature deaths using data from death investigations.

Prior to joining King’s, Georgia spent seven years at the University of Oxford where she completed her PhD/DPhil on the epidemiology of opioids, which was the catalyst for creating the Preventable Deaths Tracker.

Sarindi Aryasinghe is Head of Implementation at the NHS Race & Health Observatory and Programme Lead for the national Perinatal Equity and Anti-Discrimination Programme (PEADP), commissioned by NHS England to support maternity and neonatal services to address inequities and improve outcomes for minoritised families and staff.

Working at the intersection of anti-racism, health equity, and implementation, Sarindi leads the delivery of evidence-based approaches to address racism in healthcare while ensuring change remains grounded in community priorities and lived experience.

Alongside her role at the Observatory, she is a part-time PhD candidate at Imperial College London, where her research uses participatory and co-production approaches to explore how community advocacy can address racism in maternity care for Black families.

Jennifer Carroll is a healthcare improvement leader with extensive experience of advancing safety, quality, and operational excellence across complex clinical environments.

She champions evidence-based methodologies to enhance patient experience and outcomes. As a Specialist Physiotherapist with experience as a Business Manager and Improvement Lead, Jennifer brings a unique blend of clinical and operational insight into her strategic leadership.

She leads focused improvement work at local, regional, and international levels, applying an equity lens to drive meaningful change.

Through her work with the NHS Race and Health Observatory and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Learning and Action Network she has supported the development of equity-informed approaches to maternity safety, grounded in partnership with colleagues, women and birthing people.

Sonia is a consultant obstetrician, appointed in 2010 with clinical interests in diabetes in pregnancy, labour ward care and patient safety.

She is the consultant lead for clinical governance in maternity at Southmead Hospital, Bristol, part of North Bristol NHS Trust. Sonia has previously held the role of speciality lead and LMNS lead for the Trust.

Sonia’s passions are improving patient safety through learning from events and quality improvement. She has been instrumental in supporting the development of PROMPT and has trained many units in the UK and worldwide.

She has been a clinical advisor for MNSI, previously HSIB, since 2018 and since 2024 she has been the deputy clinical director for MNSI.

India Rakusen is an award-winning presenter, journalist and one of the UK’s leading narrative audio producers, renowned for creating compelling podcasts that explore intimate stories across science, history and human experience.

Known for crafting intimate, emotionally intelligent storytelling that blends rigorous research with deeply human narratives, her work delves into personal themes, from the mysteries of human biology to the cultural legacies shaping modern life.

India’s landmark BBC Radio 4 series Child follows the extraordinary journey from fertilisation to a baby’s first birthday, which won Gold at the 2024 British Podcast Awards for Best Parenting Podcast.

A versatile broadcaster and interviewer, India has been a regular presenter on BBC World Service’s flagship global programme Outlook since 2024, conducting thoughtful, in-depth conversations about extraordinary lives around the globe.

Through her work across audio, journalism and broadcasting, India continues to craft stories that resonate deeply, reflect the complexity of contemporary life and foster genuine human connection.

Kimberley Nixon is a BAFTA award-winning actress best known for her role as Josie in Channel 4’s Fresh Meat and for starring in much-loved teen cult hits Wild Child and Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. Other television appearances include Under Salt Marsh, Mudtown and Shardlake.

Kimberley started a blog and podcast forum, Kimfluencing My Brain, on Substack to chronicle her experiences of postnatal mental illness and diagnoses of OCD, ADHD and autism.

She is a proud ambassador for The National Autistic Society and Perinatal Mental Health Partnership and honoured to be patron of Mothers Matter Cymru in her native Wales.

Dr Chrissy Jayarajah MBBS FRCPsych DFSRH is a Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist, Writer and Research Lead for Perinatal Services at Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, based at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.

She has specialist expertise in women’s mental health and holds a Diploma in Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare and is an Honorary Fellow at the George Institute for Global Health, Imperial College London.

Dr Jayarajah is a Scientific Adviser to the Maternal OCD Charity and has extensive clinical and academic expertise in the assessment and treatment of perinatal OCD, including the safe use of psychiatric medication during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Marian Knight is Director and Professor of Maternal and Child Population Health in the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, UK and the Programme lead for the MBRRACE-UK Confidential Enquiries into maternal and perinatal deaths and mortality.

She is a public health physician whose research focuses on the care and prevention of severe complications of pregnancy and early life and addressing disparities in outcomes for women and babies from different population groups.

She was elected to fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2021 in recognition of her exceptional contribution to the advancement of medical science, and awarded an MBE in the 2023 King’s New Year Honours for services to maternal and Public Health.

Kate Brintworth, RM, BSc (Hons) MSc is the Chief Midwifery Officer for NHS England and has worked strategically across many parts of the maternity system, including as Regional Chief Midwife for London, Head of Maternity Transformation at the Royal College of Midwives, and Head of Maternity Commissioning for East London.

Kate has also been part of national and regional maternity networks, London Local Supervising Authority, national expert reference groups for commissioning, postnatal and continuity of care, and research steering groups for complex programmes of research.

She has worked in multiple roles as a midwife including as a community midwife, labour ward co-ordinator and manager. Special interests include reducing inequalities for both staff and service users, system working, organisation of services, coproduction, tariff and women making complex care choices.

Pam Langford is the Head of Midwifery and Nursing for Women's Services at East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust.

With over 21 years' experience as a midwife, she developed an award-winning multiple birth service and founded the Trust's autism maternity service, improving personalised care for autistic women and birthing people.

A Silver Chief Midwifery Officer Award recipient and Master's-qualified NHS leader, Pam is recognised for her work in maternity safety, quality improvement and service transformation, and continues to support improvements in multiple pregnancy care through her work with the Twins Trust charity.

Pam prides herself on her commitment to creating inclusive, compassionate and evidence-based maternity services for women, birthing people, babies and their families.

Allison Wickramasinghe is the Autism Specialist Midwife and an Antenatal Midwife on Dacre Ward at East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust.

With over 28 years of midwifery experience, Allison has undertaken a wide range of clinical and leadership roles, predominantly as an Integrated Community Team Leader. Throughout her career, she has developed extensive expertise across the maternity pathway, supporting both low-risk and high-risk pregnancies and births.

Allison has also held the role of Teenage Pregnancy Specialist Midwife, working within a Health Action Zone-funded project that provided continuity of care for vulnerable young women throughout pregnancy.

As a neurodivergent practitioner, with lived experience of autism and ADHD, Allison brings a unique perspective to her role as Autism Specialist Midwife. Combining professional expertise with personal insight, she is passionate about improving maternity experiences and outcomes for autistic people.

Dr Jennifer MacLellan is a nurse/midwife and post doc qualitative researcher.

She joined Oxford University from UCL in London after an eclectic career in overseas development and humanitarian response, stimulating her PhD exploring vulnerability in childbirth.

Jen has particular interest in working with women in democratic and inclusive ways to improve maternity experiences and outcomes.

She is working on the NIHR funded study OPTIM-I: Optimising the use of professionally trained interpreters in maternity.

Dr Edward Morris CBE MD FRCOG is Regional Medical Director for NHS England in the East of England, and a Consultant in Obstetrics & Gynaecology at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Associate Professor at the Medical School, University of East Anglia.

He was president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists from 2019–2022 and was Vice Chair (Standards) at the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges.

He is globally recognised for his work throughout his career in patient safety, standards and guideline production and medical device work with the MHRA. He was the inaugural chair of the RCOG Patient Safety and Quality Committee and chairman of the British Menopause Society 2013–2015.

He is the Chair of Baby Lifeline’s Multi-Professional Advisory Panel. Eddie was awarded a CBE in the King’s Birthday Honours 2023 for services to the improvement of women’s healthcare and to patient safety.

Emma is from South Yorkshire and before having children was a Veterinary Nurse. In 2017 following the birth of her two children within 11 months, she joined the Women and Families’ Involvement Group for the RCOG’s National Maternity and Perinatal Audit.

In 2018, Emma joined the RCOG’s Women’s Network before she earned her Co-Vice Chair role between 2023 and 2026. As part of this role, she sat on many committees and projects such as being a member of the Guidelines Committee and chairing the Lived Experience Group for The Green Maternity Challenge.

In 2024, Emma became the first lay person to be recruited as part of the chairing team of a core RCOG committee: the Patient Information Committee.

From 2019, Emma worked with NHSE as National Strategic Service User Voice Lead in maternity and neonatal care. Emma also collaborated with THIS Institute / University of Cambridge on Maternity Escalation and the Avoiding Brain Injury during Childbirth Project.

Emma began her PPIE work to help ensure that all women and people using O&G services are not only heard but listened to and treated with dignity and respect.

Hannah Rutter is the Quality Improvement Lead for Perinatal Deterioration within NHS England's Maternity and Neonatal Programme. She leads national improvement work to strengthen the prevention, identification, escalation and response to maternal and neonatal deterioration across England.

Hannah has played a key role in developing, testing, and implementing the national Maternity Early Warning Score (MEWS) and Newborn Early Warning Trigger and Track (NEWTT2) tools, working with clinicians, researchers, and maternity services to improve patient safety and outcomes for women and babies.

Dr Jan van der Scheer is an Assistant Research Professor at The Healthcare Improvement Studies (THIS) Institute, University of Cambridge.

His research focuses on improving healthcare quality and safety through collaborative, evidence-based approaches that bring together clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and people with lived experience.

Much of his recent work has centred on maternity care, including co-designing improved intrapartum practices through the Avoiding Brain Injury in Childbirth (ABC) programme.

Jan has held postdoctoral positions in the UK, Canada, and Japan, and is committed to developing healthcare improvements that are grounded in real-world needs and shaped by those they affect.