Speakers

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  Dr Ngozi Edi-Osagie

  Consultant Neonatologist and Group Associate Medical Directors

  Ngozi Edi-Osagie was appointed as a consultant neonatologist in 2002. She is the National Clinical Director for Neonatal care for NHS England. She is also one of the Group Associate Medical Directors at Manchester foundation trust. She has broad clinical and leadership experience, having been a clinical lead, a clinical director, and a Clinical head of division of clinical services. She was clinical lead for the development of a single hospital service across the city of Manchester overseeing the merge of 10 hospitals and community services into a single trust. She is involved in external investigations and peer review of neonatal services. She is the neonatal representative on the Maternity and Neonatal group of the NHS Race and Health Observatory and is the medical adviser for the Caribbean and African Health Network (CAHN). She chairs the Neonatal Critical care CRG and co-chairs NHSE Neonatal Implementation Board. She is officer for Genomics at Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. She is President Elect of the Manchester Medical Society (Paediatrics).

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  Dr Helen Gbinigie

  Consultant Neonatologist

  Helen is a Consultant Neonatologist, Clinical Lead at Executive Strategic Board for the Kent & Medway Local Maternity and Neonatal System (K&M LMNS) and Expert reference group member for the NHS England regional Maternity and Neonatal System. As a Principal Investigator, she leads neonatal research aimed at improving outcomes and has been nominated for the Medway Hospital Research and Innovation Award 2024. Her dedication to newborn care and healthcare equity also earned her a nomination for the Nigerian Healthcare Professional UK/NHS@70 Award in 2019. Helen chairs the K&M LMNS neonatal subgroup and has launched the “Tracking Trends in Neonatal Morbidity” initiative, providing critical insights into neonatal health trends in the region. This data-driven approach has set a standard for enhancing neonatal care. She also leads the K&M LMNS Equity and Equalities Stakeholders Group, fostering a collaborative environment for sharing best practices and developing solutions to reduce health disparities. At Medway Hospital, Helen oversees quality improvement and audit processes, ensuring adherence to national audits and NICE guidelines. She advocates for Family Integrated Care (FICare) at the Oliver Fisher Neonatal Unit, enhancing parental involvement through initiatives like parent-led ward rounds. Recognising the heightened risk of severe jaundice and brain damage in ethnic minority neonates, she developed specialized training for healthcare professionals. Her “Jaundice in Darker Skin Tone Babies” program equips maternity and neonatal staff with essential skills to detect and manage jaundice in infants with darker skin tones, thereby improving clinical outcomes and reducing disparities in care. She developed two educational packages; webinar series for staff , “Jaundice in Darker Skin Tone Babies” launched in September 2024, attracted over 300 NHS staff to her first session, and her second webinar series which is parent-focused raises awareness about jaundice symptoms and empower families to seek timely medical assistance. Helen has been nominated twice for the Best Educational Supervisor award in the KSS IN 2023 and 2024. She is enhancing care on a large scale through educational initiatives with staff and families. Her goal is to continue making clinical information more accessible and understandable by leveraging social media.

• Arnie Puntis

  Research and Policy Manager · NHS Race & Health Observatory

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  Kylie Watson

  Consultant Midwife, Saint Mary’s Hospital Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust

  Dr Kylie Watson is a clinical academic consultant midwife at Saint Mary’s Hospital, Manchester, and honorary lecturer at the University of Manchester. Dr Watson combines clinical leadership with midwifery-led research, including supporting research capacity and capability for Nurses, midwives and allied health professionals within the Trust. Dr Watson has extensive clinical experience working primarily in labour ward settings (both midwifery and consultant led) working in two of the largest maternity units in the country over the last two decades. Dr Watson leads a large birth planning (including supporting women who wish to make a plan out-with recommended guidelines) and postnatal listening service. Recent research has been focused on the maternity experiences of women living in areas of social deprivation and from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. Additional projects include evaluation of an animation on stillbirth reduction measures, developing postnatal care pathways for women with a raised body mass index and evaluation of assessment for jaundice in the community. Kylie supports equity work-streams within her organisation and has led recent work in collaboration with the Race and health Observatory on improving care for women with gestational diabetes.

• Deborah King

  Midwife at Manchester Foundation Trust