NHS maternity services have the tremendous responsibility of safely bringing new life into the world. Strong leadership, great teamwork and staff emotional and physical health are all essential.

Our client had significant challenges that were impeding their ability to deliver the care they aspired to provide for women and their families.  Stress, post-covid burnout and staff shortages had strained relationships.   Matron and coordinator turnover had created a pervasive sense of disruption, lack of cohesion and low morale.

We were asked to work with the team to renew team spirit and develop the leadership needed to enhance performance and ensure the service met the needs of women and their families.  Central to the task was to equip matrons and coordinators with the skills to collaborate, communicate and problem-solve effectively.

Our first priority was to revive trust, shared purpose and accountability within the team.

We began by supporting maternity and neonatal services to gain an understanding of each other’s experiences.  We created a safe and supportive environment for open, honest and constructive conversations. The team reflected on what was working and what could be improved.

Building on these insights, we worked with matrons and coordinators to co-create their development programme and agree the changes they wanted to make to build a commitment to improve.

Finally, we designed and facilitated five workshops in which the team agreed a new team charter and developed practical leadership skills including holding challenging conversations and managing team dynamics.  We used Appreciative Inquiry to celebrate existing strengths, positively identify areas for growth and encourage proactive problem-solving. Together the team refined their strategies for managing critical situations such as patient care escalations, to achieve a consistent and robust approach in these instances.

Team dynamics significantly improved across the service.  Our approach enabled leaders to learn about themselves and others, grow individually and as ‘one team’ and own the changes they needed to make.

The team is now aligned and focused on supporting their staff to provide excellent care. They’ve developed clear team rules and goals that guide their decisions and actions. Communication has improved, care is more consistent and leaders role model how to handle challenges with confidence and sensitivity to their team.