Country Correspondent: Adam Briggs
To help improve maternity care and promote safer births, the National Health Service (NHS) has appointed Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent as England’s first chief midwife. Dunkley-Bent, a visiting professor at Kings College London and London South Bank University, previously served as head of maternity, children, and young children for NHS England and has had a long career in the NHS as a midwife and nurse. As the most senior midwife in the country, she will lead the development of national maternity policy and assume responsibility for a range of initiatives, including implementing digital access to child medical records, providing greater access to physiotherapy for mothers after delivery, and improving breastfeeding rates.