Joyce Adu-Amankwah

Joyce Adu-Amankwah is a Specialist Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Midwife at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, with a specialist interest in improving maternity care for women with haemoglobinopathies.

Before pursuing a career in healthcare, she worked as a primary school teacher in Africa, where she developed a lifelong passion for education and empowering others through learning. She qualified as a midwife in the United Kingdom in 2004 and, in 2014, was appointed Labour Ward Coordinator. Alongside leading labour ward services, she was given the opportunity to re-establish the maternity haemoglobinopathies service, combining her clinical expertise with her commitment to improving care for women with complex medical needs.

She has developed a strong portfolio of clinical leadership, research, education, and innovation. She is a Steering Committee Member of the UK Obstetric Surveillance System (UKOSS) and has contributed to several research initiatives, including the TAPS2 study investigating prophylactic transfusion in pregnant women with sickle cell disease. During her Capital Midwife Fellowship, she led a project exploring midwives’ knowledge and understanding of haemoglobinopathies, identifying a significant need for enhanced education and training within maternity services.

She regularly delivers lectures on haemoglobinopathies in pregnancy to university students and is a member of the team providing specialist haemoglobinopathy education and training at King’s College London. She has contributed to educational content for Health Education England, conducted a review of information on haemoglobinopathies for Tommy’s that is currently available on the organisation’s website, and is involved in ongoing educational initiatives with Great Ormond Street Hospital.

She is also participating in the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur Programme, where she is developing an educational project to improve healthcare professionals’ knowledge and confidence in caring for women with haemoglobinopathies during pregnancy.

Her research interests focus on maternity care pathways, patient experience, healthcare professional education, and reducing health inequalities for women with haemoglobinopathies.