WORKING AS A COORDINATOR MIDWIFE IN A TERTIARY ...

heart rate was one hundred beats per minute with emergency assessment and assistance
required immediately. The consultant and registrar were in theatre and unavailable and
there were no other midwives or nurses in the unit available to help. This is a not
uncommon experience for coordinators to manage when lives are in jeopardy.
I know I find my heart often ‘skips a beat’ when I hear the emergency call system sound,
not ‘knowing’, and wondering whether or not extra help will be forthcoming. I can only
imagine what it must feel like for coordinators who regularly know they have inadequate
staff numbers on duty and hold concerns regarding the skill mix of the staff on duty. I
wanted to know what it feels like being the coordinator in these situations and wondered
if coordinators would reveal similar experiences.
The philosophies of ‘being safe’ and ‘working in partnership’ stand out for me in my pre-
understandings for this research. I recognize as a midwife working in delivery suite that
the coordinator midwife sets the tone for the shift by her management style. My sense of
feeling ‘safe’ or ‘unsafe’ when I am working on delivery suite relates not only to the
staffing situation but also to which coordinator is leading the shift. As a consequence, I
found myself asking whether coordinators feel safe with midwives working on ‘their’
shift and what their perspectives are regarding working in partnership with colleagues
and clients.
I observe coordinator midwives who respond to an error made by a midwife with quiet,
non-threatening direction to maintain the confidence of the client and the dignity of the
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