



Our Team
Improving quality and outcomes for women and families across the North East and North Cumbria is the common aim shared by the Maternity Network’s clinician membership.
The Network’s role is to work with partners to enable system-wide, multi-agency, multi-disciplinary and multi-organisation to shape and bring about the best possible maternity and perinatal mental health care and services. Collaborating to create the conditions for collective learning and quality improvement are the clinically led purpose of the Network. Our Team consists of clinical leadership, patient and public voices and a network delivery team.
Clinical Leads

Professor Stephen Robson MBBS, MD, MRCOG, FRCP
Consultant in Fetal Medicine, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Obstetric Clinical Lead for the Maternity Clinical Network Stephen was appointed as Senior Lecturer at Newcastle University in 1992, being promoted to Professor the following year. He developed the Fetal Medicine Unit in Newcastle which provides fetal diagnostic and therapeutic services for […]
Professor Stephen Robson MBBS, MD, MRCOG, FRCP
Jenna Wall
Jenna has been a practicing midwife for 20 years having qualified in 2002. She trained at University of Northumbria and began her career at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust in 1999. She subsequently worked in various roles, including a move to The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals, before returning to Northumbria in 2019 as the Head of […]
Jenna Wall
Dr Catherine Parker
Dr Catherine Parker, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Clinical Lead for development of Maternal Mental Health Catherine completed her training as a Clinical Psychologist at Lancaster University in 2010 and has worked in health psychology settings since qualifying. She has worked with people with a wide range of psychological difficulties relating to their physical health, including with […]
Dr Catherine Parker
Jan Rigby
Jan Rigby, Advanced Nurse Practitioner Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Perinatal Community Mental Health Team and Clinical Lead for the Perinatal Mental Health Network I trained in Newcastle upon Tyne as a registered mental health nurse and have been a CNP for over 20 years and have specialised in perinatal psychiatry since 2003. I completed […]
Jan RigbyGroup Chairs

Dr Jemma Yorke
Labour Ward Leads Jemma Yorke is an obstetric and gynaecological doctor based at University Hospital of North Durham with a special interest in labour ward and maternal medicine. Jemma has worked as a consultant since 2018 when she also began her role as labour ward lead. Taking up the role led her to chairing the […]
Dr Jemma YorkeDr Vedrana Caric
Dr Vedrana Caric is the chair for the North East and North Cumbria Fetal Medicine Network. Dr Caric is a consultant in obstetric and fetal medicine at JCUH, South Tees NHS Foundation Trust where she is the Fetal Medicine lead. Dr Caric is also working with clinical colleagues from across NENC, and the LMNS and […]
Dr Vedrana CaricDr Andrea Johnson
Dr Andrea Johnson is the Chair of Maternal Mental Health Network
Dr Andrea JohnsonVice Chairs

Dr Gareth Waring MBChB MClinRes MRCOG
Gareth is vice chair of the fetal medicine group and is covering the post of vice chair for the preterm birth group. He is a consultant in obstetrics and fetal medicine working at the tertiary referral centre in Newcastle. Gareth is the clinical lead for fetal medicine specialising in fetal surgical problems and fetal cardiology. […]
Dr Gareth Waring MBChB MClinRes MRCOGDr Louise Michie
Dr Louise MichiePatient and Public Representatives in the Clinical Network Team - The Patient and Public Representatives of the Clinical Network Groups work closely with the Maternity Engagement Group to ensure that the chairs of the Maternity Voices Partnerships are aware of the work that is taking place in the Clinical Network Groups.

Dr Christina Thomson
Christina is a mum of two young children and over the last 4 years has been a service user of maternity care in the North East. She passionately believes that maternity care should be accessible to all in a way that allows everyone to have influence over their own maternity journey and strives to give […]
Dr Christina Thomson
Elizabeth Senior
My name is Elizabeth and I’m a mom of 3 young children, we live in Morpeth, Northumberland. My interest in maternity services began through having my own babies, especially after having my younger two children at home and becoming invested as I prepared for their births. I am a breastfeeding councillor and volunteer my time […]
Elizabeth Senior
Nicola Scorer
Nicola is passionate about supporting women and has created a community over the last 5 years where they can feel safe, heard and respected through pre and post natal yoga and antenatal education. She provides women with the tools they need to be their own advocate, ask questions and feel confident in their journey to […]
Nicola Scorer
Nicola Royle
I am Nicola Royle, a Mam of 4 and we live in Whitley Bay. I have been a service user of maternity care in the North East and have experience in pre-term birth and multiple births. I am a Clinical Scientist in Audiology as my main job and in my spare time i enjoy […]
Nicola Royle
Zaina Steityeh
I am a first time mum of twins with lived experience of working with medical professionals to support a challenging pregnancy and the early life of my son, who was diagnosed with severe intrauterine growth restriction. I have spent the best part of the last decade working on improving public services and improving the user […]
Zaina SteityehClinical Network Delivery Team - To contact any of the team you can email our generic email address – england.northernmaternity@nhs.net

Suzanne Thompson
Suzanne is the Network Manager for the Maternity, Children and Families Clinical Network. Suzanne has spent half her career in the NHS and half in the voluntary and community sector. She started working in the NHS in 2008 with the Cancer Network supporting the development of a Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Service. Since then […]
Suzanne Thompson
Paula Elliott
Network Delivery Manager Paula Elliott – Paula joined the NHS in 1991 as a Registered Adult Nurse working in gynaecology. In 1996 Paula qualified as a Registered Midwife and has since practiced in University Hospital of North Durham, University Hospital of North Tees and Gateshead NHS Foundation Trust. Paula has a particular interest in education […]
Paula ElliottRachel Tomlin
Network Delivery Lead (perinatal mental health) Rachel joined the Northern England Maternity Network in September 2016 after 14 months maternity leave but has working within the Northern England Clinical Networks since its inception in 2013. From January 2017 Rachel became Network Delivery Lead for the Northern England Perinatal Mental Health Network, initially delivering on the […]
Rachel TomlinNaomi Tinnion
Business Support Officer (Maternity) My main role is to support the team with the setting up of meetings, taking notes and producing minutes, the circulation and sharing of information across the North East and North Cumbria and anything else required to keep things running smoothly. If you would like to meet with a member of […]
Naomi Tinnion
Karen Pellegrino
Business Support Officer (Perinatal Mental Health) I’ve worked in different parts of the NHS since 1984 and joined the Clinical Networks and Senate in 2016.
Karen Pellegrino