Advanced Nurse Practitioner

Sharon
Dawson

ANP  ·  Specialist Public Health Nurse  ·  Non-Medical Prescriber

Perinatal health is under-served, under-screened, and under-resourced. I build the clinical frameworks, training, and content infrastructure to change that.

NMC Registered Advanced Nurse Practitioner Specialist Practitioner — Public Health Nursing Non-Medical Prescriber Creator of the Matrescence-Informed Assessment Framework (MIAF) Founder, Mamama
Work with me The MIAF
Sharon Dawson ANP

The gap between what perinatal mental health screening captures and what mothers actually experience has a name. The MIAF closes it.

NMC: 10C0050E | NHS & NICE Aligned | UNICEF BFI
Advanced Nurse Practitioner
NMC Registered
Non-Medical Prescriber
Specialist Public Health
Paediatric & Perinatal
Mental Health Focus
Creator — MIAF
Perinatal Mental Health
Assessment Framework
Founder — Mamama
Evidence-based
Perinatal Health Platform
About

Clinical authority.
Human understanding.

I am an Advanced Nurse Practitioner with specialist qualifications in Public Health Nursing and a clinical background in paediatrics and perinatal mental health. I am also a Non-Medical Prescriber and the creator of the Matrescence-Informed Assessment Framework — a clinical screening tool developed to address the systematic gap in how perinatal mental health is assessed in current practice.

My clinical work is grounded in NHS, NICE, and UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative evidence. My practice is informed by something no qualification can provide: lived experience as a mother who navigated the same transition I now support others through.

I founded Mamama — an evidence-based perinatal health platform — to reach the parents the system cannot always reach in time. My professional consultancy work exists to change the system itself.

MIAF
Matrescence-Informed Assessment Framework — original clinical tool
NHS
NICE & UNICEF BFI aligned across all clinical work
ANP
Advanced practice with specialist public health registration
2026
Black Maternal Mental Health Summit — MIAF presentation
Clinical Background

My career has moved from bedside paediatric nursing through specialist health visiting, public health practice, and advanced clinical assessment — each stage building a view of perinatal health that is both systemic and deeply personal.

Why This Work

"The transition to motherhood is one of the most significant neurological, psychological, and identity-level changes a person can undergo. We screen for depression. We miss almost everything else."

Sharon Dawson, ANP — on matrescence and the MIAF

The MIAF

Matrescence-Informed
Assessment Framework

The MIAF is a clinical perinatal mental health assessment tool created to address a structural gap in current screening provision. Where existing tools focus primarily on depression, the MIAF assesses the full psychological terrain of the transition to motherhood — including identity disruption, relational change, and the neurobiological process of matrescence.

Developed from clinical practice and aligned to NHS and NICE perinatal mental health guidance, the MIAF is designed for use by health visitors, midwives, GPs, and specialist perinatal mental health practitioners.

Matrescence Recognition
Assesses the psychological and neurological transition to motherhood beyond mood disorder screening
Identity & Self-Continuity
Evaluates disruption to pre-maternal identity and sense of self across the perinatal period
Relational Assessment
Examines shifts in partner, social, and professional relationships as clinical risk factors
Functional Capacity
Captures real-world functioning beyond symptom checklists to inform clinical decision-making
Referral Pathway Guidance
Integrated scoring and referral criteria aligned to NHS perinatal mental health pathway thresholds
Current perinatal mental health screening identifies a fraction of what women are experiencing. The MIAF was built to find the rest.

The MIAF has been accepted for presentation at the Black Maternal Mental Health Summit 2026 and is currently being developed for ICB-level implementation. The framework addresses documented equity gaps in perinatal mental health screening and is designed to be culturally responsive across diverse maternal populations.

The MIAF is evidence-aligned to NICE guideline NG201 (Antenatal and postnatal mental health), NHS Long Term Plan perinatal mental health commitments, and the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health. It is designed to complement, not replace, existing validated screening tools.

How to Engage with the MIAF
  • ICB and NHS Trust implementation enquiries
  • Clinician training in matrescence-informed assessment
  • Research collaboration and validation studies
  • Conference presentations and keynote speaking
  • Policy consultation and advisory input
Enquire about the MIAF
Brand Consultancy

Clinical expertise
brands can verify.

I work with baby and parenting brands to ensure their health content is clinically accurate, NHS and NICE aligned, and credible to health-literate parents. In an era of increasing regulatory scrutiny and informed consumer expectations, clinical accuracy is not a nice-to-have — it is a reputational and legal necessity.

01
Clinical Content Review

Review of brand content — blogs, app copy, social, packaging — for clinical accuracy before publication. Written report with line-by-line findings, corrections, and sign-off status.

From £300 per review
02
Named Clinical Advisor

Ongoing retainer. Your named ANP — monthly content reviews, query availability, and listed on your website and materials as clinical expert. The credibility signal brands are increasingly expected to carry.

£750–£1,500 / month
03
Clinical Content Creation

Original, evidence-based content created for your brand — articles, guides, scripts, and educational resources aligned to NHS, NICE, and UNICEF BFI guidelines. Ready to publish.

From £500 / month
04
Product Development Consultation

Clinical and family-lens review during development. Structured feedback on health claims, clinical positioning, and safety considerations before your product goes to market.

£600–£1,200 / day
05
Staff & Brand Training

Live or recorded training for brand and content teams on infant feeding, safe sleep, newborn development, or perinatal mental health. Clinically grounded, practically applied.

£800–£1,500 / session
—
Not sure where to start?

Most engagements begin with a single content review. It is a low-commitment way to understand the value of clinical sign-off — and most brands move to a retainer within the first engagement.

Get in touch

Note: I do not accept work from infant formula brands in line with UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative guidelines. Professional indemnity insurance held. NMC registration verifiable at nmc.org.uk.

Clinical Training

Evidence-based training
for clinical teams.

I deliver bespoke clinical training for NHS teams, ICBs, health visiting services, GP practices, and organisations working in the perinatal space. Training is grounded in current NICE and NHS guidance and draws on specialist clinical experience in paediatrics, public health, and perinatal mental health.

Matrescence-Informed Clinical Practice
Understanding and assessing the psychological transition to motherhood — for health visitors, midwives, and GPs
Perinatal Mental Health Assessment
Beyond the EPDS — identifying the full range of perinatal mental health presentations in clinical practice
Infant Feeding — Clinical Update
Current UNICEF BFI and NICE guidance on breastfeeding support, formula use, and responsive feeding
Newborn Assessment & Red Flags
Clinical assessment of the newborn — normal variation, developmental concerns, and referral thresholds
Bespoke Programme Development
Tailored training developed to your team's specific clinical gaps and service context
Who I train

Training is available to NHS organisations, ICBs, local authorities, voluntary sector providers, and independent healthcare organisations working with families in the perinatal period.

All training is CPD-relevant and delivered against current NHS and NICE standards. Organisations receive a written training delivery report confirming learning objectives covered and attendance.

L

Live — In Person

On-site delivery for teams and organisations. Includes Q&A and case discussion.

V

Live — Virtual

Remote delivery via Teams or Zoom. Ideal for geographically dispersed teams.

R

Pre-Recorded

Produced for organisations requiring on-demand staff training within their own systems.

Training Investment

From £800 per session for standard modules.
Bespoke programme development quoted on scope.
Day rates available for multi-session engagements.

Contact

Let's work
together.

Whether you are an NHS organisation exploring MIAF implementation, a brand seeking clinical consultancy, or a team looking for specialist training — I would welcome an initial conversation.

Email sharon@sharondawson.com
LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/sharon-dawson-084931168
Mamama Platform mamama.com
NMC Registration Verifiable at nmc.org.uk
I aim to respond to all professional enquiries within two working days. For MIAF implementation enquiries, please include your organisation name and the nature of your interest.
Areas of Enquiry
MIAF Implementation
ICBs, NHS Trusts, research collaboration, policy consultation
Brand Consultancy
Content review, named advisor, content creation, product consultation
Clinical Training
NHS teams, health visiting services, GP practices, voluntary sector
Speaking & Media
Conferences, keynotes, podcast appearances, press enquiries
Send an enquiry