Barbara qualified as a Nurse in 1980 and as a midwife in 1982 and began her initial career working overseas with development agencies as a Midwifery Tutor with Voluntary Service Overseas and as a Clinical Educator with Save the Children Fund.    

She worked in Tower Hamlets as a Community Midwife providing integrated care within the Domino Model and loved working in diverse communities.   As a midwife she has been a Director Women and Children’s Services and also worked in regulation with the NMC and also advisory roles with NHS England.  

Barbara feels privileged to be back with the RCM Board and feels this time for the Profession of Midwifery and the business of the Royal College of Midwives to be pivotal in safeguarding the work of the College alongside its function of representing midwives and maternity support workers as they work with women and their families in their respective employee environments.

Benedicta is presently working as a Director of Midwifery & Gynaecology and as a midwife to her core, is passionate about improving safety for mothers, babies and midwives. 

As a Board member she aims to provide advocacy and the assurance to midwives that through representation their voices will be heard and that they will be supported by the Royal College of Midwives.

Benedicta will endeavour to ensure that RCM delivers on its pledge of equality, equity and a fair pay system for every member. As well as delivery of equitable care to all women and their families.

Melissa qualified as a direct entry midwife and has worked across all areas of maternity, within different organisations. She is passionate about supporting, and hearing the voices of those who work within maternity. She previously practiced as a Supervisor of Midwives and subsequently a Professional Midwifery Advocate. She is committed to supporting a positive safety culture and opportunities for continued development within our profession. Her current role is Director of Midwifery and in her role on the RCM board she will continue to support our professional voice to impact on the delivery of maternity services.

Cher is a maternity Care Assistant working in the community in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. As an active RCM workplace steward and chair of our local Branch, she fights hard for RCM members to ensure care is safe for Staff and all service users. The role of the Maternity Care Assistant is something that she takes great pride in and was very privileged to be on the first training cohort in Scotland at RGU. One of my goals is to see an apprenticeship route for the MCA in to midwifery. As a new Board member she promises to bring the same energy and enthusiasm to the board making sure that the RCM reflects it members in the four corners of the UK.

Angharad has recently been appointed as the Head of Midwifery in at Cwm Taff Morgannwg UHB. Midwifery career, Angharad has worked in a variety of midwifery roles, including governance and risk management, operational lead midwife duties, and clinical supervision for midwives undertaken an RCM learning rep role.

During the last three years Angharad has worked as Head of Patient Safety and Quality in Cardiff and Vale UHB, serving as the organisation’s professional lead for Quality Governance.

Angharad believes that employee wellbeing and quality, safe care are inextricably linked and promoting kind and respectful working relationships is fundamental in building foundations upon which a positive, safe, and supportive learning culture can flourish.

Declan qualified as a midwife in 2011, having been fortunate enough to have been seconded from his role as a hospital receptionist to train.  He was an RCM Steward from 2019 to 2024, when a combination of RCM Board commitments and a new baby meant that he felt he could no longer give the time that that role required.  Declan works as a Band 6 Research Midwife at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London where he continues to contribute to the local RCM branch as the branch secretary.  Declan is a passionate trade unionist and advocate for the RCM raising members voices to make a difference where it really matters to midwives and MSW.

Shani qualified as a midwife in 2011, before that she was an MSW.  She has left her career in the Ministry of Defence to work in healthcare as she loved working with people, especially at such a momentous time in their lives.  She has worked in all areas of maternity, but her favourite is community, for the autonomy and enjoyed getting to know the families in my care.  

She is Secretary to the Joint Union Committee in the Trust where she works.  She coordinates the numerous recognised trade unions, collectivising their voice to give a staff side view.  

She loves being a midwife and enjoy working in lots of different areas help her understand what it is like now.  She has a passion to know what pressures people are facing on a daily basis, this lived experience is needed to help formulate the strategy and direction for the RCM, to make life better for all.

Bridget is a senior midwifery leader with a national profile in perinatal safety, governance, and strategic improvement. As Clinical Lead for the Maternity Incentive Scheme at NHS Resolution, she continues to work to strengthen board-level assurance across England by bringing clarity, constructive challenge, and practical support to Trusts. She aims to make complex information easy to understand, helping senior leaders and boards engage with data and insight in a meaningful way.

With over 25 years of experience in the NHS, Bridget combines national leadership with clinical practice when she can to stay grounded in the realities of care. She is a Florence Nightingale Foundation Scholar and is also sponsored by the ICM Midwife Leaders Executive Programme. She is thrilled to have been elected as a member of the RCM Board.

A strong advocate for the profession, Bridget is committed to raising the profile of midwifery and ensuring that midwives have a seat at every table where decisions are made. She believes in being a positive and credible voice, championing the importance of midwifery leadership and making sure our collective voice is heard. She is equally passionate about supporting the next generation of midwives and nurturing future leaders, helping them grow the confidence, curiosity, and influence needed to drive real and lasting change.

She works at University Hospitals Birmingham, which is a large multisite tertiary level service delivering almost 9000 women per year. Carla has been a midwife for 25 years and has worked across a variety of managerial and leadership roles across the Midlands.

As an Afro-Caribbean woman in leadership, I am passionate about reducing the challenges facing women in the global majority and improving their outcomes in maternity services and the wider NHS. Woman/ family centred care aligned to individualised care needs being key in reducing inequalities, working closely with the MNVP to improve the experiences of women.

Another ambition is also to extend the membership of the RCM so that we represent all midwives, maternity support workers and maternity assistants. Increasing our membership and voice to ensure that the maternity workforce is fully supported in times of change and that we continue the RCM legacy of developing leaders.

Wendy Matthews has built a distinguished and multifaceted career in midwifery and nursing—serving in leadership roles across hospitals and communities as both Director of Midwifery and Chief Nurse, and contributing at regional and national levels. In her current capacity as Regional Chief Midwife, she is deeply committed to the wellbeing and career progression of staff, as well as ensuring that service users receive high-quality, compassionate care.

The main motivation for her joining the RCM Board is to ensure that the voices of midwives, maternity support workers, and students are heard and acted upon through the RCM.

Maternity services have undergone more transformation in recent years than perhaps at any point in their history, and it is vital that staff are equipped with the appropriate skills, expertise, and working conditions to deliver the care they aspire to provide. She is passionate about strong, visible, compassionate midwifery leadership at all levels to ensure our professional voices are both heard and recognised.

Wanda (known as Wendy) began her midwifery career in 1992 after qualifying as a nurse in 1985. Based in the North West of England, she has worked across hospital and community settings, including as a Specialist Outreach Enhanced Midwife supporting women facing multiple disadvantages. She led two Award winning successful programmes helping families affected by substance misuse to break the cycle of repeat child removal.

Since 2022, Wanda has undertaken humanitarian aid work in Ukraine, delivering maternity supplies to frontline hospitals. She is also a Visiting Lecturer at Salford University and two other North West institutions. Wanda currently works at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, where she helped establish the Maternity Vaccination Clinic, and speaks publicly about her international work.

She was named Who Cares Wins Midwife of the Year in 2022 and is registered with the UK-Med Emergency Medical Response Team for global deployment.

As an elected RCM Board member she is committed to ensuring that the future of Midwifery thrives and is valued and the voice of Midwives and MSW’s is heard.