Joanne Parkington
Midwife Entrepreneur and CEO
My Midwife & Me Ltd
Jo Parkington is a midwife and is the founder and CEO of a number of companies over the years which have included: One to One Midwives, My Midwife & Me and The One to One Foundation. Jo’s experience spans more than 30 years working within the NHS, with over 25 years working within the maternity sector. One to One Midwives became the first independent provider to be commissioned into the NHS to provide a community caseloading midwifery service.
Jo’s vision was to take midwifery back to its roots and for midwives to become truly autonomous – not just clinically but in how they work, which was evidenced through a self managed team approach and ensured that each team was trained to take professional accountability and govern themselves. The Self-Managed Team structure enabled midwives to feel more confident and empowered to organise their caseloads, make decisions and share responsibility.
Jo is a firm advocate that in order to succeed you must surround yourself with a tribe of people who hold the same beliefs and values, and that is what she has achieved at One to One. This unique midwifery service was delivered by motivated and passionate experts and individuals who placed women and their families at the centre of their care. Over 17,000 families have been cared for through this model and the clinical outcomes for women and their babies are excellent, including a still birth rate and premature birth rate that were half the UK national average.
