Our Team

Please note that our roles and people are changing and this information will be updated after our General Meeting in October. 
National Maternity Voices CIC Directors:

Acting Chair: Hannah Lynes @HannahLynes former chair Bromley Maternity Voices (MVP), Coordinator of the Better Breastfeeding advocates network, NCT breastfeeding counsellor, MVP rep on South East London LMS Public Health working group

Administrator: Louise Griew, former chair South Warwickshire MSLC 2009-2013, NCT West Midlands Maternity Services User rep support, SWFT Patient Forum member, User rep on Coventry and Warwickshire LMS

Training Lead: Laura James @Jameslaja1 NCT antenatal practitioner, training lead for National Maternity Voices, former chair Bromley Maternity Voices (MVP) (2014-2017), former NMV acting chair (2018-19), former co-chair of London MVP strategic group (2018-20)

Sandra Guise @WNECumbriaMVP @sandra_sjp Chair West Cumbria MVP; Chair Carlise & Eden MVP; Co-chair Northeast & North Cumbria Clinical Network Maternity Engagement Group

Emma Taylor, Chair Reading MVP. I joined because I’m passionate about empowering women, and I believe every woman should have a pregnancy and birth she is at peace with. I love being part of the process to transform maternity services.

Other National Maternity Voices core committee members:

Mo Ade Chair of Ashford and St. Peter’s MVP

Website Administrator: Cathy Brewster @MancHomebirth Acting Chair of Stockport MVP, Greater Manchester & Eastern Cheshire MVP Network co-chair and LMS board user rep, Greater Manchester Homebirth Support Group Chair

Suzanne Jarrett @MvpSouthwest Chair of Brighton and Hove MVP

Emma Johnston Chair of West Sussex MVP

Mindy Noble @hantsmaternity Chair of Hampshire MSLC and NCT breastfeeding counsellor

Ruth Prentice @N_Ne_LincsMVP Chair Northern Lincolnshire Maternity Voices Partnership, Humber, Coast and Vale LMS board service user rep

Catherine Williams @BerksMaternity Reading Maternity Voices (MVP) Service user member,  NCT antenatal practitioner, AIMS, NICE Fellow, Midwifery Unit Network, founding NMV acting chair

The following members of our core committee are also lay representatives on Regional Maternity Transformation Boards:

Suzanne Jarrett (South West England)
Catherine Williams (South East England)

The following members of our core committee are also lay representatives on National Maternity Transformation Workstreams:

Cathy Brewster (WS7: Harnessing Digital Technology)
Emma Johnston (WS10: Neonatal)
Emma Taylor (WS9: Prevention)
Catherine Williams (WS5: Transforming the Workforce)

NHS England Maternity Transformation Programme link:
Lisa Ramsey @Doula_lisa Service User Voice Policy Manager – Maternity Transformation Programme NHS England, former Better Births National Stakeholder Council member 2016-2018, former User Chair Reading Maternity Voices Partnership 2015-2018
Associate members of our team:
Rachel Plachcinski @stroppybrunette Service User Rep, Maternity Mouthpiece (North Kirklees MVP), co-lead for parent, patient and public involvement at NPEU, the government’s policy research unit for maternity and neonatal care.
Paul Webster @GingeWebster Freelance content-writer, speaker, blogger, advocate for paternal mental health
Our stakeholder community – our stakeholder panel:
We are delighted to work with:
Maria Booker Programmes Director at Birthrights
Kate Brian, Women’s Voices Lead, Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists
Kate Brintworth, Head of Transformation, Royal College of Midwives
Jen Coates, Director of Volunteering and Bereavement Support, Sands
Kath Evans, Experience of Care Lead, Maternity, Infants, Children & Young People, NHS England
Mary Newburn, Service User Researcher/Public and Community Involvement Coordinator, Maternity and Perinatal Mental Health Research, ARC South London/King’s College London, member of the London MVP Strategy Group, and Better Births National Stakeholder Council member 2016-present
Professor Lesley Page, visiting professor in midwifery King’s College London. Adjunct professor UTS and Griffith University, Australia
Rineke Schram, Consultant Obstetrician,
Florence Wilcock, Consultant Obstetrician, Kingston Hospital
Liz Wigley, Maternity Commissioning Manager, Leeds CCGs
National Maternity Voices Chair role

The National Maternity Voices committee has drawn up a National Maternity Voices Chair Role Description . (PDF 58.6kb) NB This is now out of date and a new role description document is in preparation.