Midwife in Focus Q&A with Misbah Mahmood

Misbah Mahmood has been a qualified midwife for more than 10 years and 5 years in digital at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. She has successfully led on several projects across maternity services, Including an end-to-end electronic patient record, and a secure online notes portal. Being a member of the Digital Midwives Expert Reference Group and an elected member of the Digital Health CNIO advisory council, Misbah has seen first-hand the value of networking.

Recently, she was awarded the Chief Medical Officer Silver award that recognises midwives whose performance goes above and beyond their everyday role, demonstrating excellence in clinical practice, leadership in the development of services and consistently outstanding care recognised by patients and colleagues.

 

OGMN: What drove you to choose your career as a midwife?

MM: Coming from a big family and being part of a community, I wanted to support people during such a significant moment in their lives. Additionally, as someone from an ethnic background, I aim to represent and show any young person that they can achieve anything they set their minds to.

 

OGMN: Congratulations on your recent award for your work leading LTHT’s digital transformation in maternity services. Tell us more about how you’re helping to transform the future of patient care?

MM: We’re implementing digital initiatives like self-referral booking systems, which reduce the number of women booking after the 10-week gestational period, ensuring they receive optimal antenatal care. We provide access to online notes, allowing clinicians and patients to be better prepared for appointments. The pandemic accelerated these changes, enabling families to receive care in more convenient ways.

The data we collect is incredibly valuable. It helps us analyse the effectiveness of our initiatives and accurately document the levels of care we provide, identifying areas for improvement.

 

OGMN: When undertaking digital transformation, how do you make sure the clinical voice is heard?

MM: My favourite quote is, “If there is no seat at the table, bring your own chair!” It’s crucial that both clinical and digital perspectives are represented in projects. At LTHT, we involve the CCIO office in the transformational process, ensuring an expert clinical voice is always heard.

 

OGMN: What’s the best part of your job?

MM: The best part is seeing the positive impact of our projects and processes in clinical areas and wards. Even small changes can make a big difference. It’s rewarding to see the tangible benefits of our work.

 

OGMN: … and the worst?

MM: The worst thing is when you can see something that would make such a difference in a clinical setting, but you aren’t able to implement it due to financial pressures. In my position, it can be quite a tough judgement call when deciding and deciphering which projects are the priority when it comes to this.

 

OGMN: What has been the highlight of your career so far?

MM: Being appointed to the substantive role of DCMIO has been a standout moment. It’s a new role that paves a career path for midwives to aspire to. The turning point in my career was the Florence Nightingale Digital Leader Scholarship, which gave me the confidence to step out of my comfort zone and expand my portfolio significantly.

 

OGMN: What would be your best advice for young people thinking of applying to train as a digital midwife?

MM: I would say go for it! Don’t be afraid; you don’t need to know everything upfront—you’ll learn as you go. Don’t hesitate to take chances and create your own path. Seek opportunities, leverage your network, and remember, “it’s not just what you know, it’s who you know.”

 

OGMN: Over the past few years, it is clear that the healthcare industry has been greatly impacted by the pandemic, what has been the greatest impact within your work in the digital field?

MM: I think people have realised and have adapted to the importance of using digital tools and new technologies. There has been a lot of digital buy in, and promotion of digital transformation particularly from NHS Trusts across the UK.

 

OGMN: Are you planning to attend any training events or conferences in 2024?

MM: I’ve just been to Rewired 2024 and I plan to attend several events over the summer as part of my role on the Digital Health Advisory Panel.

 

OGMN: What would you tell your 21-year-old self?

MM: I’d say don’t worry, everything that’s meant to be will be. Don’t be so structured and live your life to the fullest. Take all the chances you can get and make sure that your voice is heard.

 

OGMN: If you were Health Minister for the day what changes would you implement?

 MM: I’d invest more into healthcare and digital literacy, I think it’s so important to ensure everyone has access to the internet and a computer.

 

OGMN: How do you think the future looks in the field of midwifery and what are your predictions for 2024 and the next decade?

MM: I think the future is digital! Every NHS Trust should have a Chief Midwifery Information Officer to ensure midwives have a seat at the table. I think we will see a big shift towards the importance and power of data around maternity services, and the changes that we are making from the findings, specifically around health inequalities, accurate reporting and standardising data analysis methods. I predict that this will be a key focus point as we learn more and more about evolving digital technology within healthcare.