Top 20 NHS Band 9 Chief Midwifery Officer Interview Questions and Answers (With Coaching Tips)
The role of a Band 9 Chief Midwifery Officer (CMO) in the NHS is pivotal in shaping maternity services across hospital trusts and regions. As a senior clinical leader, the Chief Midwifery Officer provides strategic direction, ensures safe, high-quality care, and champions women’s health initiatives. Responsibilities include workforce planning, service redesign, policy implementation, and collaboration with stakeholders across healthcare and government bodies.
This Band 9 leadership role typically commands a salary range of £99,891 to £114,949, reflecting its significance and the depth of expertise required. Candidates for this post must demonstrate exceptional leadership, clinical knowledge, and system-level thinking.
Below, we present 20 frequently asked interview questions for a Chief Midwifery Officer role, along with professionally tailored responses to help you prepare effectively.
Can you describe your leadership style and how it aligns with NHS values?
Answer: I employ a transformational leadership style, which emphasizes empowering others, fostering innovation, and aligning teams to a shared vision. This resonates deeply with NHS values like compassion, respect, and working together for patients.
How have you led service improvements in maternity care?
Answer: I led a trust-wide initiative to reduce stillbirths by implementing the Saving Babies’ Lives Care Bundle, resulting in a 20% reduction over 12 months. I used data analytics and collaborative team reviews to ensure sustainability.
What is your experience with budget management at a senior level?
Answer: I’ve managed a £12 million maternity budget, achieving financial balance while enhancing service delivery. I routinely perform cost-benefit analyses to align resources with strategic goals.
How do you ensure patient safety and quality in maternity services?
Answer: I embed a culture of safety through robust clinical governance structures, regular audits, and staff empowerment. I also lead on compliance with CNST maternity safety actions.
How would you address health inequalities in maternity care?
Answer: I use population health data to identify disparities and co-design targeted services with local communities, such as culturally tailored antenatal education programs for BAME populations.
Describe a time you had to lead a team through significant change.
Answer: During the COVID-19 pandemic, I transitioned our maternity pathway to incorporate remote antenatal visits while maintaining patient trust and continuity of care, involving rapid staff training and digital infrastructure deployment.
How do you develop future midwifery leaders?
Answer: I launched a midwifery leadership academy offering mentorship, coaching, and project-based learning. This has increased Band 7–8a progression rates by 35% within two years.
How do you stay current with national maternity policy and best practices?
Answer: I subscribe to RCM and NHS England updates, participate in NHS Futures collaboration hubs, and contribute to national policy consultations and academic publications.
How would you handle underperforming staff?
Answer: I adopt a supportive but structured approach: clear expectations, development plans, regular feedback, and HR collaboration where necessary to uphold safe care standards.
How do you work with multidisciplinary teams?
Answer: I prioritize relationship-building, shared goals, and inclusive communication. I chair the Maternity Transformation Board, ensuring obstetricians, neonatologists, and commissioners work in harmony.
What strategies do you use for workforce planning?
Answer: I use demand modeling, workforce intelligence tools, and regional projections to shape recruitment and training strategies, including rotational posts and flexible working schemes.
How do you ensure the voice of women and families informs care delivery?
Answer: I established a Maternity Voices Partnership board to co-produce services and evaluate experience through real-time feedback and thematic analysis.
Describe your approach to risk management in maternity settings.
Answer: I implement proactive risk registers, conduct regular safety huddles, and encourage incident reporting with a learning-focused, non-punitive culture.
What is your role in CQC inspections and regulatory compliance?
Answer: I lead CQC readiness, ensuring policies and training are inspection-ready. I also coordinate post-inspection improvement plans and communicate openly with regulators.
How do you approach innovation in midwifery?
Answer: I supported a digital transformation project, including an AI triage chatbot, which improved service responsiveness and freed up 20% of midwife phone time.
Can you give an example of influencing stakeholders at a regional or national level?
Answer: I co-authored a regional perinatal mental health strategy endorsed by NHSE, following extensive engagement with ICBs, MPs, and parent networks.
How do you ensure equality, diversity, and inclusion in midwifery leadership?
Answer: I’ve implemented diverse recruitment panels and initiated reverse mentoring schemes to tackle unconscious bias and foster an inclusive leadership culture.
How do you handle high-pressure situations and make decisions?
Answer: I rely on structured frameworks like SBAR and DATIX data, coupled with calm, compassionate communication, especially in sentinel event scenarios.
What’s your vision for the future of maternity care?
Answer: Personalized, equitable, digitally enabled care that integrates community and hospital services—anchored in continuity models and women’s voices.
Why do you want this Chief Midwifery Officer role?
Answer: This role aligns with my passion for system leadership, safe and equitable maternity care, and making a lasting impact on maternal outcomes on a national scale.
Final Interview Coaching Tips
Preparing for a Band 9 Chief Midwifery Officer interview means stepping into the mindset of a system leader. Here are some closing tips to help you excel:
Practice STAR format responses for clarity and impact.
Tailor answers to strategic NHS Long Term Plan goals.
Show data literacy: back up claims with outcomes and KPIs.
Display emotional intelligence, compassion, and resilience.
Ask insightful questions that demonstrate strategic thinking and alignment with the Trust’s maternity vision.
Remember, you’ve made it this far because you’re already a strong candidate. Stay confident, prepare thoroughly, and let your authentic leadership qualities shine through. You’ve got this!
