Nafiza Anwar

The North East London Equity and Equality Lead Midwife plays a crucial role in promoting equitable and inclusive maternity services across the region. This leadership position involves the development and implementation of strategies to address health disparities and ensure that all women, regardless of their background, receive high-quality maternity care.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership:

Develop and oversee initiatives aimed at reducing health inequalities within maternity services.
Implement policies and practices that promote equity and inclusion for both patients and healthcare staff.
Capacity Building and Training:

Provide training and support to midwives and other healthcare professionals on cultural competence, implicit bias, and inclusive care practices.

Develop educational materials and resources to raise awareness about the unique needs of diverse populations.
Community Engagement:

Collaborate with local communities, particularly those from minority and marginalised groups, to understand their specific needs and concerns.
Facilitate community outreach programs to improve access to maternity services and foster trust between healthcare providers and the communities they serve.
Policy Development and Advocacy:

Advocate for policy changes at local and regional levels to support equitable maternity care.
Work with healthcare administrators and policymakers to ensure that equity and equality principles are integrated into all aspects of maternity service provision.
Research and Data Analysis:

Conduct research to identify disparities in maternity care outcomes and develop evidence-based interventions to address these gaps.
Analyze data to monitor progress and effectiveness of equity and equality initiatives.
Collaboration and Networking:

Build partnerships with other healthcare organizations, governmental agencies, and non-profits focused on equity and equality in healthcare.
Participate in regional and national forums to share best practices and learn from other equity and equality leaders.
Support for Internationally Recruited Midwives:

Develop and implement programs to support the integration of internationally recruited midwives into the NHS, ensuring they receive appropriate guidance and mentorship.
Impact Goals:

Improved Health Outcomes: Ensure that all women in North East London receive high-quality, culturally competent maternity care, leading to better health outcomes for mothers and babies.
Inclusive Work Environment: Foster an inclusive and supportive work environment for all healthcare staff, promoting diversity and reducing workplace inequalities.

Community Trust and Engagement: Build strong, trust-based relationships between healthcare providers and the communities they serve, enhancing the overall effectiveness of maternity services.

The North East London Equity and Equality Lead Midwife is a vital advocate for fairness and inclusivity in maternity care, striving to create a healthcare system that serves all women equitably and compassionately.

The role of the Lead Maternal Medicine midwife was to establish the Maternal Medicine service across North East London following a Hub and spoke model.
To provide leadership and strategic oversight into developing the workforce to provide equitable care to women with complex medical problems that mirrors the service at the Hub, so that women with complex medical problems receive care at the right time , right place and by the right experts to ensure that robust care plans are in place to manage their pregnancy journey. This will thereby reduce the adverse outcomes that have been identified in previous reports in relation to this cohort of women.

In my role I have been responsible for co developing and implementing a cohesive leadership strategy for the Maternal medicine pathway and ensuring that contributions from a midwifery angle have been harnessed towards building the service. I have been integral in developing the shared vision set out by the National Maternal Medicine Specification across the network , supporting the ICS , HOMs and DHOMs and LMNS leads to ensure that the relevant structures are in place to deliver a quality service. I have also been involved in developing the midwifery strategy for maternal medicine across the network and supported the development of a Specialist midwifery Maternal Medicine programme. 3Three programmes have been implemented with the fourth one scheduled for Jan 2024.

I have also been instrumental in driving the inequalities agenda with the Maternal medicine pathway and have set up a Maternal Medicine EDI Steering group who will focus on particular inequality issues within maternal medicine , working with relevant stakeholders and community groups to ensure that the service is fit for purpose for the demographics being served.

I have also been successful in developing the spoke sites within the network where there are now Specialist Maternal medicine midwives in post . I will be actively involved with supporting and mentoring the midwives as they settle into their new roles.

• Bank Midwife

• Better Birth Lead Midwife

• Safety and Quality Team, Women’s Health

• Clinical Site Manager

• Band 8a

• High Risk Midwife

• Band 7

• Fetal Medicine Unit

• Brent Care Ambulatory Diagnostic (BeCAD) Centre

• High Risk Team

• Assistant Health Advisor

• UN Funded Project

• Day Surgery Unit

• Grade D

• Medical and Surgical Units

• In-service Training in the Endoscopy Unit, Anaesthetics and Recovery

• Surgical Unit