Tracey is proud to be the Chief Midwife for the North East and Yorkshire for NHS England. She is a nurse and a midwife. She has over 30 years midwifery experience, working in all areas of midwifery and birth settings. She has held both Midwifery Management, including Director and Head of Midwifery, Consultant Midwife roles and Associate Chief Nursing roles, while also working with the LMNS on projects.

She was awarded an MBE in 2018 for her contribution to midwifery. She received an Outstanding Contribution Award for Midwifery and Maternity Services in 2018 and became a Fellow of the RCM in 2017. She has contributed to guidance and professional policy nationally. She was a member of NICE guideline groups and committees between 2014 to 2019.

Tracey gained her PhD in 2011 and has been committed to putting evidence into practice throughout her career and is a co-applicant of current maternity research studies. She has developed care in all settings in collaboration with women, MNVPs and the multidisciplinary team to ensure women and their families are the decision makers of their care and supported in their choices. She has also developed and transformed birth settings and models of care throughout her midwifery career, including providing this support to midwives internationally.

Tracey’s interests lie in: supporting women, midwives and the multidisciplinary team through her strategic role; creating different career pathways for midwives, including clinical academic career pathways; developing midwifery research; supporting women and their families to have the best childbearing experiences possible for them, supporting choice, including place of birth; implementing evidence into practice; changing organisational cultures; and ensuring organisational decision making is based on evidence.