University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust has appointed a new director of Midwifery.
Heather Gallagher has been chosen for the role and will begin her post in mid-April 2022.
Having a wealth of experience in midwifery, Heather has spent the first 15 years of her NHS career in working maternity services across the North, where she held a joint research and midwifery post within clinical trials, after completing her MSc in Health Service Research at the University of York in 2005.
After moving from the North to the East in 2015, Heather worked in a variety of clinical, operational and senior leadership roles within midwifery and nursing, which included Deputy Head of Midwifery and Associate Director of Midwifery.
On her new appointment, Heather commented: “I am really excited to be joining the team at UHMBT. I am so passionate about maternity services, and I’m really focused and driven on working with teams and supporting them to deliver outstanding, compassionate care that is responsive to the local needs of the communities.
“I am particularly interested in research and evidence-based care, speaking out in maternity services, leadership and talent management, and experience-based co-design for service development and improvement; and I look forward to working with colleagues to see how we can use all of this to make a positive difference to the lives of local women and families.”
Aaron Cummins, Chief Executive, UHMBT, added: “We are thrilled to be welcoming Heather to our team. Heather’s experience and passion for maternity services will fit perfectly with our team’s drive and dedication to further improve maternity services across the trust.
“We have made some significant changes to our maternity services over the years but we still have work to do. I am confident that under Heather’s leadership, our team will feel empowered to do what needs to be done to ensure we are offering the best possible services to families in our local communities.”
