A consultant obstetrician at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals (LTH) has been appointed as one of five new Vice Presidents of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), one of the most influential professional bodies in women’s health.
Jenny Barber, who joined LTH in 2023, will take up the prestigious national role for a fixed three-year term alongside her ongoing clinical work at the Trust. As part of her appointment, she will work two days a week for the RCOG, contributing to national leadership across maternity and gynaecology services.
The Vice President role will see Jenny involved in shaping clinical guidelines, workforce and safe staffing models, and wider national policy. A key focus of her work will be ensuring that national decision-making remains closely connected to the realities of frontline clinical care.
Jenny said: “I feel hugely privileged to have been given this opportunity, but also a strong sense of responsibility. I’ve been elected to the Vice President team very much as a practising, frontline obstetrician, and my aim is to help strengthen the connection between what happens on the ground and the policies that shape care nationally.”
A central part of Jenny’s portfolio will be working with women’s voices and service user groups at a national level. She believes that listening to women, families and staff is essential to improving care and ensuring that guidance reflects what truly matters to those using and delivering services.
“Patient and service user involvement is absolutely key,” she said. “We need to make sure our policies are aligned with women’s experiences and priorities. That lived experience should sit at the heart of how maternity and gynaecology services develop.”
Jenny’s appointment also brings clear benefits for Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, strengthening the Trust’s links with national bodies and giving local staff and patients a direct route to influence national policy.
“This role creates an opportunity for the Trust to be closer to what’s happening nationally,” Jenny explained. “It allows frontline experience from LTH to help inform national conversations, while also keeping us well connected to emerging guidance and priorities.”
During her time at LTH, Jenny has been the lead consultant for delivery suite, and led obstetric governance, developing a strong understanding of patient safety, learning from incidents, and how organisations support staff through challenging situations. She has also been closely involved in developing Trust-level clinical guidelines and working with the Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP), experience she says will be invaluable in her national role.
“That work has given me a real insight into how we make care safer for women, how we listen and learn, and how systems and regulation operate both locally and nationally,” she said. “Being able to mirror that work at a national level feels like a natural progression.”
Jenny also brings a particular clinical interest in perinatal mental health, an area of growing national focus. She hopes to support further development of services that improve care and outcomes for women and families during pregnancy and the postnatal period.
Another distinctive aspect of Jenny’s appointment is the stage of her career at which she is taking on the role. Traditionally, RCOG Vice President positions are held later in a clinician’s career, but Jenny believes her perspective will help ensure a broader range of voices are represented.
“I’m taking on this role 15 to 20 years earlier than is typical, and that’s something I see as a real strength,” she said. “Our obstetrics and gynaecology workforce at LTH is relatively young, and it’s important that those perspectives are heard nationally. Doctors in training and consultants in the earlier part of their career should be able to contribute to leadership and help shape the future of women's health.”
Jenny has been a consultant for almost five years and was previously a substantive consultant at Manchester Foundation Trust before joining LTH. She has long held an interest in leadership and policy, completing a Master’s in Healthcare Leadership and undertaking a number of national leadership fellowships during her training.
“I’ve always been passionate about obstetrics and gynaecology, but I also value being able to step back and look at the bigger picture,” she said. “Having the balance of direct clinical care alongside national leadership is incredibly rewarding.”
Reflecting on the appointment, Jenny added: “This is a really exciting opportunity, and I hope it brings tangible benefits to the Trust as well as helping to improve maternity and gynaecology care nationally over the next three years.”
