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’. 

Her previous roles include Group Director of Midwifery, providing strategic and professional leadership to Associate Directors of Midwifery across three maternity sites, and leading a quality improvement team. She has also served as Co-chair and Senior Responsible Officer for the Northeast London Local Maternity System. 

Earlier in her career, Shirley was Community Midwifery Services Manager at University Hospital Lewisham, where she led the opening of a midwife-led birth centre. She later worked as a Consultant Midwife and Deputy Head of Midwifery at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. 

Shirley was a finalist in the Royal College of Midwives ‘Practice into Policy’ award category in 2017 for her work implementing an antenatal booking centre, improving the timeliness of sickle cell and thalassemia screening. Her wider contribution to maternity leadership has also included serving as an HSJ Awards judge. 

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. 

Outside work, Shirley values quality time with her family and enjoys dining out and travelling.