Jennifer Russell

Qualifications

Diploma of HE Midwifery, LLB Law (Hons), Post Grad Dip Law & Ethics in Healthcare, Full Member of Expert Witness Institute (MEWI)

Specialisms 

• Hospital Midwifery
• Midwife Led Units
• Interpretation of CTGs
• Cannulation

Introduction 

I qualified as a midwife in 2000. Throughout my career I have worked in the hospital setting and mainly in intrapartum care. I have been a Rotational Midwife, a Triage Midwife, a Delivery Suite Core Midwife, an Enhanced Midwife Practitioner and for the largest part of my career to date, I was a Delivery Suite Coordinator. This exposed me to a high volume of low risk and complex intrapartum care as well as women who were very unwell during both the ante and post-natal periods. I have a vast amount of experience in managing obstetric emergencies such as shoulder dystocia, ante/intra and post-partum haemorrhage, maternal and/or neonatal collapse, breech births and eclamptic fits. I have taught these skills drills for many years, on mandatory training days and in situ simulations. I am skilled and experienced in CTG interpretation and have supported the clinical areas in CTG teaching sessions. I consider myself to have a high level of skill and experience and have always ensured that I maintain my clinical competencies and remain up to date.

Between June 2018 and November 2023 I worked in Patient Safety/Governance for Women’s and Children’s Services at a large Trust, whilst continuing to work clinically as a midwife in the acute care setting. I undertook rapid reviews and incident investigations; generating the reports on completion. I also carried out complaint investigations and met with women and families to feed back about the findings and any actions put in place to address care/service delivery issues. In November 2023 I became the Matron for Inpatient and Intrapartum Care in a large unit that undertakes more than 4,000 deliveries a year. I continue to work as a clinical midwife both within my substantive role, and also via the Staff Bank. I am a Professional Midwife Advocate and also a Specialist Advisor for the Care Quality Commission; although have not undertaken an inspection since prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. I have worked closely with the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) (now Maternity and Neonatal Safety Investigation (MNSI)). 

As a clinician I perform perineal suturing, epidural top ups, IV Drug administrations, IV Cannulation, phlebotomy and blood product transfusion. Due to working in large, busy units that provide high levels of maternity and neonatal care, I have been exposed to a broad spectrum of pregnancy complications such as diabetes, genetic conditions, hypertension, blood borne infections, renal problems, amongst others. 

Prior to my midwifery training I completed a Law degree and post qualification, a Post Graduate Diploma in Law and Ethics in Healthcare. In my previous role, I was regularly involved with the litigation team at both our Trust as well as NHS Resolution and attended litigation's summits, pre inquest meetings and Coroner’s Court.

I accept instructions from both claimant and defendant solicitors and insurers. I have undergone formal training in the medico-legal process and am fully aware of my responsibilities under Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) pertaining to expert witnesses.