FOR 36 years she has been dedicated to helping shape and improve maternity services while also helping to bring thousands of babies safely into the world.
Now, Suzanne Cunningham has called time on her career, which began in 1980 when she trained to be a nurse in London.
In 1985 at Poole Maternity Hospital, she underwent her maternity training before heading on to work in a number of roles.
It was there, that she helped bring into the world, that she delivered Tim Taylor.
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But on May 3, after 21 years at University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust - including the last five at the helm - she said farewell to colleagues as she retired.
And in a fitting end to her remarkable career, she was able to meet and cuddle Tim’s new baby girl, Dorothy, who was born under the care of UHS maternity team just days ago.
Suzanne joined UHS in 2000 as the UK’s first consultant midwife, alongside colleague Jane Rogers.
The role was introduced by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to encourage the development of clinical leadership, retain expert clinical skills and transform maternity services to improve health outcomes for mothers and babies.
During her time at UHS, Suzanne helped to develop and evolve the service at the Princess Anne Hospital, which is regarded as a centre of excellence for maternity care for the 5,500 women it sees each year.
She oversaw an expansion to the role of the midwife, the opportunity for midwives in the region to continue study at masters or doctorate level and also led significant clinical research.
An area of interest in Suzanne's early career was exploring how midwives make decisions in respect to measuring the fetal heart rate (cardiotocography) and ventouse deliveries when a vacuum cap is attached to a baby’s head to assist the birth.
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Suzanne said: “I have loved my leadership role, both regionally and locally, and feel proud when I meet people who I have worked with and have been able to support in their development in some small way.
“I was lucky enough to be offered the post of consultant midwife which was the best role ever for me.
“It was an opportunity to really influence clinical practice and build on the culture at UHS of fantastic teamwork and cross-team-working, in particular the obstetricians and midwives who have formed such a formidable ethos with the common goal of putting the care of women first ensuring it is both personalised and safe.”
She added: “One thing I am really proud of is changing practice at UHS whereby our midwives now perform the first medical examination and do most of these every day, as well as ventouse deliveries, normally something only doctors do, which highlights the high level of expertise and skill delivered by our midwifery team.”
Throughout her time at UHS and over the course of the pandemic, Suzanne highlighted how proud she was of the team she helped to create.
“The maternity team at UHS are amazing – they are like a family and I will miss them,” she said.
“The support, care and kindness they give one another really shines through whenever I see them and it goes without saying that if our staff are happy at work they are more able to support women and their families and that has been key to everything we try to do.”
In 2010 Suzanne was awarded an OBE for her services to midwifery and the skills and experience that brought her this recognition will go on to influence the development of services nationally.
She will continue to work with the chief midwifery officer in an independent role supporting hospitals that are experiencing difficulties.
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