New partnership aims to improve return to work conditions for frontline mothers

A new initiative in Cambridgeshire aims to improve support for frontline ambulance staff returning to work after having a baby.

Over the next year, 50 support boxes will be donated to women taking maternity leave within the East of England Ambulance Service, helping breastfeeding mothers navigate the challenges of returning to frontline roles.

The programme has been launched by Naomi Saunders, Founder of The Expert Link and workplace wellbeing business Harbour, alongside paramedic Josephine Brown. It comes in response to ongoing difficulties faced by breastfeeding ambulance staff, who often struggle to find the time, privacy and facilities needed to pump and store milk during long and unpredictable shifts.

Through partnerships with several wellbeing and parenting brands, the initiative will provide 50 wearable breast pumps alongside additional support products. Organisations backing the scheme include MAM Baby UK, Active Iron, HiPP UK, Lansinoh, Carifit, Vitabiotics and HotTea Mama, with MAM Baby UK donating the MOVE wearable pumps.

Naomi Saunders said frontline workers can face additional pressures when balancing breastfeeding with returning to demanding operational roles. Through Harbour, she also plans to gather feedback from participants and offer ongoing guidance around breastfeeding, milk storage and maternal wellbeing.

Josephine Brown said the initiative addresses long-overlooked challenges faced by women returning to frontline roles, particularly in unpredictable and physically demanding ambulance work. She hopes it will spark wider conversations about how to better support working mothers.

“We hope this initiative not only provides practical support, but also encourages wider conversations about what working mothers genuinely need to thrive in the workplace.”

Josephine Brown, Paramedic, EEAST.

The founders hope the initiative will lead to wider change across frontline services, including improved workplace support, greater awareness and a longer-term shift in how organisations support mothers returning to work.

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