Debby Gould is Head of Midwifery at University College London Hospitals. Debby has 26 years of experience working as a midwife in the UK and has established a UK wide reputation as a leader in maternity services including promoting normality. Debby has worked in areas of midwifery ranging from midwifery led birth centres, including active birth and waterbirth to high risk obstetrics in highly technical labour ward environments. Debby has undertaken many roles across the high risk-normality continuum at a senior level, in many different organisations within the NHS. This has given her a depth and breadth of understanding of maternity services and different models of care.

Debby was author of Normal Labour : A concept analysis which has become a seminal article underpinning the movement to understand normality. She was also co author of the first joint statement with the Royal College of Midwives and Royal College of Obstetricians which was on Waterbirth. Her passion is to be a strong advocate for women, midwives and the promotion of normality and the value of good quality midwifery care, and also to increase midwives confidence in their ability to improve women’s birth experience, whatever the environment.

Debby Gould was Chair of the Royal College of Midwives Council 2007- 2011. She has also just published her first book in September 2011 ‘Welcoming Baby: Reflections on perinatal care’