A few minutes with…Nicola Round, Maternity Inpatient and Workforce Matron
In a nutshell, explain what your job entails?
As a Maternity Inpatient and Workforce Matron, my role is about making sure women, birthing people and families receive safe, compassionate care, while also supporting and looking after the amazing staff who provide that care across Wards 1, 3, 4 and NIPE services. Maternity care can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be challenging and unpredictable — no two days are ever quite the same. A large part of my role is recruitment and retention, including supporting our Retention Lead Midwife and EDI Lead Midwife. Ultimately, it’s about looking after people — both the families we care for and the staff who care for them.
What achievement are you most proud of (so far)?
I am incredibly proud to have had both of my daughters at BWC. Having experienced the maternity services from both a professional and personal perspective makes my connection to BWC even more special. It’s a huge privilege to have spent so much of my life here, and to have seen so many changes and shared so many special moments along the way. The relationships I’ve built throughout my career at BWC are so special — almost 25 years since my first day as a student midwife. So many lifelong friends. I’m proud of the contribution I’ve made to maternity services and, most importantly, the difference I’ve hopefully made to families and colleagues.
Why did you choose your career?
I was supposed to be a hairdresser, having worked in a salon every Saturday while I was at high school. Then, my Year 11 headteacher encouraged me to look at jobs in the NHS because he thought my personality was better suited to a caring role. I chose midwifery because I wanted a career where I could make a genuine difference to people at some of the most important moments of their lives. Birth can be joyful and happy, emotional and sad, frightening, unpredictable and incredibly powerful — sometimes all at once. I wanted to be someone who could support those moments. My career has evolved over the years, but that motivation to care about other people has never changed.
Who would you say was your inspiration?
I’ve been inspired by so many strong women throughout my career, particularly those who mentored, encouraged and supported me during my many years at BWC. One person who really stands out from the earlier years is Bridget Egan, a midwife who has since retired. She was the absolute epitome of a caring, kind and compassionate midwife and showed me the difference that simply being there for someone can make. I feel very lucky to have worked alongside and learnt from so many incredible people throughout my career and am still learning from now in my leadership role. I hope I’ve been able to pass some of that support and encouragement on to others.
If there was one thing you could change in the world, what would it be?
Having infinite funding for the NHS to provide the best services possible would be incredible, although obviously not achievable. But if there was one thing I could change in the world, it would be to make kindness and acceptance the default. We’re all different, with our own experiences, opinions and challenges, and I think we’d all benefit from being a little less quick to judge and a little more willing to understand. We don’t have to agree with each other, but being able to listen, respect different perspectives and find common ground could prevent or resolve a huge amount of conflict in the world. I think we sometimes underestimate how far a bit of kindness and understanding can go, both in everyday life and on a much bigger scale.
Describe yourself in three words.
I would hope that people would describe me as kind, loyal, thoughtful.
Finally, not a lot of people know this about me but…
I used to absolutely hate football — and now I’m completely obsessed with it. My daughter plays in goal for her U13 team, so you’ll now find me on the sidelines every weekend, more invested in the sport than I ever thought possible. And my favourite place on earth is Iceland. There’s something about its incredible landscapes, beauty and peacefulness that I absolutely fell in love with; maybe one day I will retire there.