Background

What does a Digital Midwife do?

The digital midwife or clinical informatics midwife is an experienced midwife, with enhanced knowledge of digital issues and information technology systems within maternity. They ensure clinical practice supported by digital technology meets professional standards.

They lead the digital maternity agenda, promoting changes in the profession, utilising digital technology to improve service delivery, women’s experience, quality and safety. As services increasingly utilise digital technology, any service change will need to have awareness of digital impact and enablers which need consideration and support from the digital midwife role. Pre-empting how the digital technology can support future developments in midwifery supports timely service improvement.

The digital midwife works closely with staff across the multi-disciplinary team to support effective working relationships both within and external to the maternity service. Cross boundary working is an important aspect of the role, to link IT, system suppliers and clinical staff to ensure they work collaboratively to achieve safe and effective practice. They also provide support to those who find digital technology challenging and signposts them to appropriate training and support available both within and external to the organisation.

The digital midwife supports data collection by ensuring that staff are effectively using electronic systems to capture key data and completing this accurately to ensure quality data is reflected. The digital midwife should evaluate data quality and be able to support local and national data collection from the digital systems used within the service.

How do I become a Digital Midwife?

A digital midwife should have a good range of experience in all aspects of maternity care. This is imperative to ensure that the digital solutions are effective for the whole maternity pathway. It is important for a digital midwife to maintain good knowledge of any developments or changes in best clinical practice and ensure that the digital processes are effective in supporting this. A good understanding of change management is needed to support any system or service changes required as digital midwives will advise on both the changes required to existing digital systems and the appropriate clinical training to support the implementation of changes in process and practice.

The digital midwife should have a comprehensive knowledge of data which is regularly collected and shared both internally and externally for dashboards, key performance indicators and mandatory data sets.

This role is supportive of the audit and risk management processes due to value of the maternity record in both capturing data and record of events. A digital midwife should have a good understanding of these processes and the role an electronic record system plays in ensuring that these processes can be completed quickly, and with clarity and confidence in the record.

The digital midwife should have a good understanding of the full functionality of the maternity system used and good knowledge of excel and how to present data in an accessible format for use in the wider maternity services.

Are there Networks to support this role?

Yes. We even have our own Digital Midwives Network Forum, you can learn more here. In short, The RCM Digital Midwives Network Forum is a pioneering initiative that brings together Digital Midwives from across the four UK nations, including those in industry-specific roles, to collaborate, share experiences, and drive digital transformation in a safe, supportive, and inclusive space.

Last year, a member of the forum Hamza Hauwa also wrote this blog which detailed why she was joining this network.

Where could this lead to?

As the work a digital midwife does runs through all aspects of midwifery practice, there are opportunities for progression into senior midwifery roles such as:

• Matron
• Other specialist midwifery roles, such as practice educator
• Governance midwife

Digital midwives may also progress their digital career both within and external to midwifery for example:

• Digital leadership roles in or outside of the NHS
• Regional leadership roles e.g. local maternity system digital lead
• Chief clinical information officer (CCIO)
• Chief nursing/midwifery information officer (CMIO)
• Technology lecturer

Career Stories

We also spoke to two Digital midwives about their role, their journey into digital midwifery and top tips they would give to others wanting to also be digital midwives. Responses from both of them can be found below. Jennifer Lyons’ answers are in italic and Hauwa Hamza’s answers are not.

What are the top priorities of the role? 

Ensuring safe digital systems are being used in a safe way. Essentially, I translate clinical need to digital teams, ensure systems are fit for purpose and that staff can use those systems in a safe way, championing the clinical voice in the digital team. I also look at which emerging technology and innovations might be helpful for us to adopt and link with other trusts to learn lessons from them as to what they are doing well.

• I make sure staff are ready and confident before go-live by completing training, identifying those who need extra support, and providing hands-on practice.
• I work with clinical teams to understand current workflows and ensure nothing is lost as we move from paper to digital.
• I stay visible on the wards during dress rehearsal, go-live, and early stabilisation to offer at-elbow support, reduce anxiety, and escalate issues quickly.
• I reinforce good data quality from day one and keep clinical safety at the centre of decision-making.
• I translate technical information into practical meaning and support colleagues through change with clear, consistent communication.
• I promote a positive digital culture by encouraging questions, building peer support, and celebrating small wins.
• As part of business-as-usual, I continue beyond go-live by gathering feedback, prioritising quick improvements, and helping digital practice become fully embedded. 

Briefly describe your journey to becoming a Digital midwife.

When I worked as a community Midwife the trust I worked for wanted to instigate a postnatal paper light pathway. It wasn’t clear to the digital team just how much of the Maternity pathway happens outside of the trust and the different challenges faced in community compared to acute. I became heavily involved in that project, liaising with the digital teams and found I could make a big difference to both staff and patient experience in this role. I therefore became a Digital Midwife and as my career developed, I expanded my knowledge and the areas I supported until I accepted this post.  

My journey began with a first degree in computer science, which gave me a strong foundation in digital thinking and problem-solving. I later spent time doing charity work with traditional birth attendants in Nigeria, and it was there that I realised I needed to formally train as a midwife to deepen my clinical knowledge, but also so I could teach safely and responsibly. After qualifying, I found myself naturally drawn to the point where digital and maternity care meet, combining my technical background with my midwifery practice to improve how care is delivered and documented. 
This led to a secondment as a digital clinical facilitator, where I supported colleagues through digital change and helped translate technology into meaningful clinical practice. The role felt like the perfect fit, and I eventually transitioned into a full-time, permanent digital clinical facilitator position, continuing to bridge the gap between clinical and digital to support safer, more confident and women-centred care.

What education and training helped you get to there? 

There is no formal training needed for a clinical informatics role, mostly it is experiential learning. However, there have been a few key things that have helped me along the way. The Maternity and Neonatal Digital Network have a space on the futures platform with a wealth of information for those new to digital roles and Clinical Safety Officer Training has also been crucial. I have also undertaken an MSc in Healthcare Informatics and AI and am currently on the Digital Health Leadership Programme, a well-known digital leadership programme. All of these have been valuable and worthwhile, but they aren’t needed to get started!

• First degree in computer science and management (combined honours) (built a foundation in technology and problem-solving).
• Midwifery training (clinical expertise and teaching skills).
• Charity work with traditional birth attendants (strengthened community-focused care and practical teaching).
• Currently pursuing MSc. in Health Informatics (combining digital expertise with clinical knowledge).
• Secondment as digital clinical facilitator – hands-on experience bridging technology and maternity care. 

What are the main challenges for the role?

One of the main challenges of the role is balancing clinical safety, usability and the pace of digital change. Clinical teams need systems that work well in practice, while digital change often requires time for assurance, governance and implementation. There can also be a gap in understanding between clinical and digital teams, so a significant part of the role involves translating between the two, building trust and influencing without direct authority. Managing competing priorities, limited resources and keeping aligned with national policy and local pressures all add to the challenge as does finances!

• Balancing clinical pressures with digital change when staff feel overwhelmed. 
• Supporting very different levels of digital confidence across the workforce. 
• Translating technical issues into practical guidance for clinicians. 
• Managing competing expectations and timelines during implementation. 
• Maintaining data quality and safety when workflows are new. 
• Keeping staff engaged after go-live when motivation naturally drops. 
• Acting as the bridge between clinical teams and digital projects 

What do you wish you had known before taking on the role?

I wish I had known how much of the role would involve culture change, negotiation and confidence rather than technical knowledge. Early on I thought I needed to know everything about the systems and be really ‘techy’, but I’ve learned that what is really needed is an understanding of clinical workflows, to be able to ask the right questions and to be able to represent staff and patients effectively. I also wish I had known how important building a strong peer network is, as digital roles can feel quite isolating without that support. This job is definitely about people.

• So much emotional energy required to staff through change.
• The importance of building trust with clinical teams early.
• Varied nature of digital confidence across the workforce.
• Balancing clinical priorities with project deadlines.
• Understanding workflows in depth before implementation.

What benefits does the role bring to the people we care for? 

The role helps ensure that digital systems support safe, high‑quality care rather than adding risk or burden. By making sure clinical needs are properly understood and embedded into digital design, we can reduce duplication, support better decision‑making and free up staff time to focus on patients. Ultimately, good clinical digital leadership helps ensure technology improves both patient experience and outcomes.

• Safer care for the women and families. 
• More efficient care – spend more time with women.
• Consistent, high-quality information – supports better clinical decisions and continuity of care. 
• Single point of truth with implementation of digital records
• Empowered women – clear, accessible records allow women to be more informed about their care.
• Improved communication.
• Supportive environment. 

Where, if anywhere do you want to go from here?

I would like to continue developing as a senior clinical digital leader, influencing digital strategy at system and national level and supporting the development of other clinicians into digital roles. I’d like to continue the work done in Maternity previously around digital inclusion and I’m particularly interested in how we build sustainable digital leadership, improve clinical engagement in transformation and ensure safety and equity remain central as technology evolves.

I would like to transition into academia and support the shape midwifery education and support to embed digital into the midwifery curriculum.