This chapter from the King’s Fund toolkit on improving safety in maternity care focuses on leadership and staffing, and highlights how the two are always deeply interrelated. This is particularly the case when considering the role of leadership both within the maternity ward and across the broader organisation, where decisions on staffing, resourcing and the design of maternity services are made.

At the ward level, leadership and managerial training for ward coordinators and for midwives can provide significant benefits by building both skills and confidence. The chapter highlights the use of midwifery leadership development workshops, which can be run by adapting general healthcare leadership programmes to the maternity context and focusing on current key issues in maternity safety. More broadly, the chapter emphasise the importance of securing board level sponsorship and clear senior executive presence and support for leaders and safety initiatives in maternity settings.