Leigh Yule Healthy Pregnancy Advisor Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust Shift: Sickness to Prevention

The best time to support good health, Leigh Yule will tell you, is before problems begin. As a Healthy Pregnancy Advisor at Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, that belief shapes everything she does.

With 16 years in the NHS, Leigh works with women and families during one of the most significant chapters of their lives, pregnancy and early parenthood. Through one-to-one health coaching sessions, she provides practical, personalised support around stopping smoking, staying active during pregnancy, and breastfeeding, helping to reduce the risk of health complications for both mother and baby before they arise.

Alongside her individual work, Leigh delivers Bumps and Bites sessions in community family hubs, warm, accessible gatherings where families come together to learn about healthy nutrition, movement, and how to optimise conditions for birth. Through practical low-cost food demonstrations and guided discussion, she gives families the knowledge and confidence to make positive choices that will shape their child’s health from the very beginning of life.

What makes Leigh’s work so powerful is its reach. By intervening early, during pregnancy, before habits become entrenched and before health challenges develop, she is helping to break cycles of ill health and give the next generation the strongest possible foundation.

For Leigh, the reward is in the moments families feel empowered. When a mother gains confidence in her choices, when a family leaves a Bumps and Bites session with new knowledge and renewed motivation, the impact stretches far beyond the session itself.

Sixteen years on, her commitment to caring for communities and being there for families at the moments that matter most remains as strong as ever.