Cheryl Thomas

Cheryl Thomas is a Senior Lecturer in Midwifery at the University of Northampton and is the named Professional Midwifery Advocate (PMA) within the organisation. Cheryl has been a qualified midwife for over 20 years and has a wealth of experience within the clinical setting as a front line midiwife and also as a senior manager for maternity services. Since commencing at the University in 2017, Cheryl has enhanced her academic portfolio by gaining teaching status on the Nursing and Midwifery Council register and becoming a fellow of the Higher Education Academy. 

As a Senior Lecturer in Midwifery, Cheryl is passionate about supporting student midwives and has implemented the PMA role into the undergraducate midwifery curriculum. The PMA's role is to primarily support midwives, student midwives and maternity staff with with personal and professional issues. This is achieved by faciliating either one to one or group restorative clinical supervision sessions (RCS). These session aid attendess with sourcing a solution to the issues presented.

Cheryl has additionally complemented this role with a post graduate certification in coaching and mentoring for which she was awarded a dstinction. Cheryl continues to work within the NHS in London and in the South West of the country facilitating coaching workshops, one to one and group RCS sessions for maternity staff. 

Cheryl' is currently working on a research project which is reviewing the effectiveness of the PMA role within a London based maternity unit. This project will additionally be looking at themes and trends that contribute to staff morale during the covid-19 pandemic and provide recommendations to the trust to implement change. Cheryl's learning journey is also a key element within this project.