Beacons of Hope and Courage: Midwives Leading with Compassion
Beacons of Hope and Courage: Midwives Leading with Compassion
On 1 May 2026, in celebration of International Day of the Midwife, we hosted a webinar in partnership with NHSE London and The King’s Fund exploring the impact of compassionate leadership in maternity care.
Chaired by Nina Khazaezadeh, Regional Chief Midwife for London, with talks from Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent OBE, Chief Midwife, International Confederation of Midwives, Professor Michael West CBE, Senior Visiting Fellow, The King’s Fund and Professor Habib Naqvi MBE FFPH, Chief Executive, NHS Race and Health Observatory.
Key takes
The webinar explored the role of midwives as leaders in compassionate, inclusive care, with Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent OBE commenting that “today we are still speaking about preventing maternal mortality. Our goal at the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) is universal access to quality care – we need parity and improved health outcomes across the globe. Despite structural and workforce barriers, being undervalued and undermined, you still lead with confidence and influence. The ICM believe all midwives are leaders within their sphere of influence.”
Similarly, Professor Michael West CBE shared the four crucial areas that we have to focus on if health systems are to support the wellbeing and resilience of maternity staff:
- Address workforce crisis – not just the inadequate management of maternity services, but also the levels of burnout and stress we are seeing amongst midwifes across the world and we have to make CL the foundation of that work
- Equity, diversity, and inclusion – a major issue for those we serve but also those working in maternity care
- We have to address the core needs of our staff so that we’re not putting a sticking plaster on the problems of stress and burnout that we’re seeing amongst midwives
- We have to move towards a more collective leadership where the voces of midwives are influencing the direction of organisations responsible for delivering care
Professor Habib Naqvi MBE shared insights into tackling inequalities in maternity services and improving experiences for all. He shared that "the imperfections that we see play out very often in healthcare and in our society as a whole are the stark inequalities that cover a range of areas but in particular, that Black and Asian women are three times more likely to die during pregnancy, childbirth or soon after than white women in the UK. These inequalities are immoral and unjust, but they are avoidable, and we can do something about them." Adding that "staff engagement is critically important to tackle inequalities. We need a workforce that is fully engaged and representative at all levels." He posed that question "What can we do? Demonstrative compassionate leadership is at the is top of this list as well as evidence-driven accountability and sustained and meaningful engagement. Compassionate leadership is being comfortable with the uncomfortable."
The panel
Nina Khazaezadeh - Regional Chief Midwife for London, NHS England
Nina is the Interim Regional Chief Midwife for London and a registered nurse and midwife with international experience. She has held a range of senior leadership roles across acute and primary care and has extensive expertise in clinical practice, management, quality improvement, research and co‑production. She has advised on several NICE guidelines and is the immediate past President of the Royal Society of Medicine’s Maternity and Newborn Forum. Nina led the midwifery input into the Lambeth Early Action Partnership, a long‑term programme addressing early‑years health inequalities, and has received national recognition for innovative, partnership‑based practice.
Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent OBE - Chief Midwife, International Confederation of Midwives
Professor Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent OBE is a global advocate for midwives and a leading voice in ensuring women and gender diverse people receive equitable, safe and compassionate maternity care. As the first Chief Midwifery Officer for the NHS in England, Jacqueline has shaped national maternity policy and strengthened safety and professional leadership across the system. She now leads the International Confederation of Midwives, championing midwifery worldwide.
Professor Michael West CBE - Senior Visiting Fellow, The King’s Fund
Professor Michael West CBE is one of the UK’s most respected experts on compassionate leadership, staff wellbeing, and organisational culture in healthcare. His research has had a transformative impact on how teams’ function effectively and how leaders can nurture compassionate, high performing environments. He holds academic roles at Lancaster University, University College Dublin, and Aston University.
Professor Habib Naqvi MBE FFPH - Chief Executive, NHS Race and Health Observatory
Professor Habib Naqvi MBE leads the NHS Race and Health Observatory, where he oversees national work to identify, understand, and address ethnic inequalities in health and healthcare. His expertise spans strategic planning, policy development, and global partnerships focused on tackling systemic inequities and improving health outcomes for diverse communities.
