Linda Machakaire

Linda has been in senior management in maternity services since 2007 and truly understand what a privilege it is to work with women, people and families going through a maternity journey. In her previous roles, her expertise and experience provided direct and compassionate leadership in clinical services, training, education and innovations in maternity and neonatal services. The biggest learning and improvements she has found, have come from actively listening to service users past and present and working collaboratively from the onset to ensure safe and responsive services.

She has expertise and first-hand experience of resolving complex issues that span across working with different teams, cultural barriers/ constraints and unanticipated disruptions such as COVID. What she has learnt and gained from working across maternity services in different settings and hospitals is invaluable.

She has lived experience of being staff, leader, manager and service user in the NHS as well as being a woman of colour. She contributed in the development of the Capital Midwife anti-racism framework and continues to champion and lead services to represent all protected characteristics. She is a member and regular attender of several staffing networks including the disability network and the LGBTQI+ networks in her current Trust as identifying with a group, and providing allyship, are equally important.