In the rapidly evolving landscape of healthcare technology, few professionals have witnessed and shaped the digital transformation of maternity services quite like Delyse Maidman. With over three decades of experience spanning from the early days of digital health records to today’s complex integrated systems, Delyse’s career exemplifies the evolution of female leadership in healthcare technology.
From Childhood Dreams to Digital Pioneer
Delyse’s journey began with a childhood aspiration that would define her career trajectory. “I always wanted to be a midwife,” she reflects. This early calling led her through nursing training in London and midwifery education in Canterbury and Margate, providing her with what she now recognises as crucial foundational experience.
“Back in the day, you needed to train as a nurse before you did your midwifery, which was really important because it gives you that more holistic, wider view of where maternity sits within their general health,” Delyse explains. This comprehensive clinical background would prove invaluable as she transitioned into the emerging field of digital health.
The Digital Revolution in Maternity Care
Working as a midwife in south London, Delyse gained experience across all areas of maternity care – from running labour wards to community midwifery. However, it was her exposure to one of the earlier digital maternity record systems that would reshape her career path entirely. When the position of digital lead became available, she seized the opportunity for a new challenge.
“It fitted immediately. It just absolutely fell into place and what I loved about it was that any change that happened in maternity had to have digital to underpin it,” she recalls. This was the late 1980s and early 1990s, making her work genuinely pioneering in the field.
The role revealed the transformative power of digital technology in healthcare. “It was supporting the clinical change and actually being able to provide the evidence of what was happening. I could see the power that it had in supporting frontline clinicians to be able to write record their information once, and for the mother’s health record to follow her.”
Navigating the Complexities of System Integration
Delyse’s experience spans the evolution from standalone digital systems to complex integrated platforms. She witnessed firsthand the challenges that arose when American-designed systems were implemented in the UK healthcare context. “You had to admit the mother on the system before you could birth her on the system… In reality, we were delivering women almost as soon as they came in the door.”
This experience highlighted the critical importance of understanding local workflows and the need for systems designed with end-users in mind – lessons that remain relevant in today’s digital transformation initiatives.
The Challenge of Role Definition and Recognition
When Delyse moved from digitally-forward London to Norfolk, she encountered a significant culture shift that many female leaders in emerging fields can relate to. “Having gone from an organisation that was very forward thinking… with digital, it was quite a challenge and I hadn’t really understood the difference until I experienced it.”
More challenging was discovering that the role of “digital midwife” meant something entirely different in her new organisation. “They had a digital midwife in name, but it was probably somebody who was more a midwife, but that was maintaining a health record rather than leading digital transformations… they didn’t really understand the role of a digital midwife in that way, they saw me as somebody that was just going to correct data errors.”
This experience speaks to a common challenge faced by women in leadership roles – the need to actively define and advocate for their position while educating others about their capabilities and potential impact.
The Evolution of Supplier Relationships
Throughout her career, Delyse has observed significant changes in how healthcare organisations work with technology suppliers. In the early days, relationships were more personal and collaborative. “You used to talk directly to the technical team from the supplier. You’d have a problem, they’d fix it.”
As the industry matured, these relationships became more formal and bureaucratic. “We’ve lost this human factor. It was through those strong networks and relationships that the suppliers knew me and they trusted me,” she observes. This shift highlights the importance of relationship-building skills that many successful female leaders naturally possess.
Strategic Leadership Through Education
A pivotal moment in Delyse’s leadership journey came through the Digital Health Leadership Academy, where she became the first midwife to complete the programme. “I’d been leading digital transformations, but doing the course really opened my mind up to more strategic thinking.”
Interestingly, the course revealed that strategic thinking was already her strongest attribute. “It was somewhat ironic because I did the course to become more strategic. And then when we did the analysis on our personalities strategy was my highest.” This experience demonstrates how formal education can validate and strengthen existing capabilities while providing new tools and frameworks.
The academy experience transformed her approach to leadership: “I came away with a toolkit to use to reshape some of my points of view.”
The Orchestra Conductor Approach
Delyse’s leadership philosophy centres on what she calls being “a conductor at an orchestra.” This metaphor reflects her understanding that modern digital leadership requires orchestrating diverse expertise rather than trying to be the sole expert in everything.
“As a digital midwife, I need to know the BI analysts. I need to know the technical team. I need to know the project managers. I need to know my clinical subject matter experts, but I also need to know outside my own organisation, that strong network I can pull in,” she explains.
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
Despite her extensive experience and proven track record, Delyse candidly discusses her ongoing battle with imposter syndrome. “All the time, I know within myself that I am probably one of the most experienced digital midwives… But when you have to come to the table to have that voice and you look around the room and there are all of these experts, it really can knock your confidence.”
Her response to these feelings demonstrates resilience and purpose-driven leadership: “I’m always having to have that voice in my head that if I don’t speak up, if I don’t say what I know to be true, then that voice is not heard in that audience and in that environment.”
The Power of Female Networks
The digital midwives network has been instrumental in Delyse’s career development and personal resilience. “It is an extremely strong network that is really supportive right the way through from the very new digital midwives who are just finding their feet to very experienced digital midwives.”
This network provides both practical support and emotional sustenance. “I’ve built a network of friends who have supported me through personal difficulties because they know me well enough… that network is really what’s kept me here today.”
The collaborative nature of this predominantly female network exemplifies the power of women supporting women in professional settings. As Delyse notes, “There’s something about women getting together to get things done.”
Mentorship and Role Modelling
Throughout her career, Delyse has been both beneficiary and provider of mentorship. She particularly credits Jules Gudgeon, the chief midwifery information officer, as a standout role model. “She always champions the role but she’s always available to help… I have looked at how she conducts herself in wider forums, how she channels a positive but challenging approach to all situations.”
Delyse has embraced her own role as a mentor, often without initially realising the impact. She recounts how a brief encouraging conversation with a new digital midwife made a significant difference: “She said it was so important just speaking to me, to understand the role and what it’s like to start those challenges and to grow.”
Finding Daily Victories
One of Delyse’s key pieces of advice for sustaining motivation in challenging roles is to actively recognise daily achievements. “I say every day, write down something that you’ve been successful in.”
This practice helps combat the natural tendency to focus on obstacles and setbacks. “Sometimes you get to the end of the week and you just think I’ve not achieved anything. What are they paying me for? I’m not getting anywhere. But when you look back at those little wins, you realise you’ve the difference you’ve made.”
Leadership Advice for the Next Generation
Drawing from her extensive experience, Delyse offers practical advice for aspiring leaders in digital health:
Invest in Formal Leadership Development “The digital health academy is just about to go out for cohort. I have said to the digital midwives in the organisations below me, do whatever you can to get on the course… we don’t often put ourselves first in making sure that we’ve got the right accreditation.”
Build Long-term Relationships “It’s not always about the immediate win, it’s the long term. Don’t jeopardise a relationship with a supplier because you’re so fixed on winning that particular argument when you’re going to have a 10 year working relationship with that person.”
Speak Up Despite Discomfort “If you are in a situation and you feel very strongly and passionately about something, if you don’t speak up then that thought in your head is not aired and nobody else will pick it up… You have to be that voice.”
Shift from Doing to Leading “Sometimes we have to learn to delegate. We have to stop and recognise that if 90 percent of my day is ‘doing’, that’s only leaving 10 percent of my time to actually have my head up.”
Legacy and Future Impact
Delyse Maidman’s career represents more than individual achievement; it embodies the evolution of female leadership in healthcare technology. Her journey from clinical practice to strategic digital leadership demonstrates how women can navigate and shape emerging fields while maintaining their core values of collaboration, relationship-building and service to others.
Her emphasis on network-building and supporting the next generation of leaders creates a multiplier effect that extends far beyond her individual contributions. By being vulnerable about challenges like imposter syndrome while continuing to take on leadership roles, she provides a realistic and inspiring model for other women in similar positions.
Through her three decades of pioneering work, Delyse Maidman has not only advanced the field of digital health but has also paved the way for future generations of female leaders to follow.
