Listen to staff, save services: leadership lessons from The Happy Midwife

Sophie Eldridge, better known as The Happy Midwife, joins Heidi Eldridge for a frank conversation about what maternity services need to change, and how change actually happens.Sophie is a practising midwife, mum, and perinatal governance professional with a passion for quality improvement. Together, they explore why transparency and communication sit at the heart of safer care, how “flattening the hierarchy” can protect families and staff, and what leaders can do right now to improve culture and retention.They also discuss flexible working, psychological safety, accountability, and why Sophie believes “keep asking why” is one of the most powerful tools in maternity care.In this episode, you’ll hear about:• Why transparent leadership improves culture and safety• The real reasons staff leave, and what retention looks like in practice• How to challenge unsafe or outdated practice without being silenced• What “flattening hierarchy” means on the shop floor• Why communication is at the root of most incidents• Sophie’s message to midwives and future leaders: go for the job, speak up, keep asking whyFollow Sophie:TikTok: @thehappymidwifeInstagram: @thehappymidwifeigIf you’d like to see more of what we do, you can find us at:Our Website – https://www.mamaacademy.org.uk/ Or @mamaacademy on all your favourite social media platforms.If you'd like to make a one-time donation to support everything we do, you can text:‘MAMA05’ to 70085 to donate £5‘MAMA10’ to 70085 to donate £10‘MAMA50’ to 70085 to donate £50