Celebrating success in maternity and neonatal care

Published on 20/10/2025

Doug Bowley, Medical Director - Women's and Children's Services, Carla Jones-Charles, Director of Midwifery and Katy Hogan, Hospital Operations Director - Women's and Children's

Colleagues, partners, and service users came together last month to celebrate the progress and achievements of the maternity and neonatal services at University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB).

The Maternity and Neonatal Engagement event, held at Heartlands Hospital, provided an opportunity for colleagues and partners, including the Birmingham and Solihull Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP), to reflect on the progress made in recent years and collaborate on future priorities for the service.

The day was opened by Carla Jones-Charles, Director of Midwifery, Doug Bowley, Medical Director for Women’s and Children’s Services, and Katy Hogan, Heartlands Hospital Operations Director for Women’s and Children’s Services.

Colleagues from the maternity and neonatal teams

We were also pleased to welcome Gaynor Armstrong, Regional Chief Midwifery Officer, and Katy Hemus, Local Maternity and Neonatal Systems (LMNS) MNVP Lead, among others to the event.

Throughout the event, attendees celebrated the progress and achievements across UHB’s maternity and neonatal services, shared outcomes from a range of quality improvement projects, and heard valuable insights from partnership organisations.

Partners from the Birmingham and Solihull Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP) and The Breastfeeding Network

Carla said: “It was a day of reflection, celebration, and collaboration, and we are grateful for opportunities like these to engage with our colleagues, staff and partners. The discussions and ideas shared will help shape the next steps in continuing to improve the care we provide for families, babies, and staff.

“Thank you to everyone who attended and for their ongoing commitment to making maternity and neonatal care the best it can be.”