How do you typically engage?

Retainer, defined project, advisory board membership, or fractional and non-executive roles. Most relationships begin with a short, well-scoped piece of work.

How do you handle conflicts of interest?

I maintain a register of interests, disclose relevant positions at the outset of every engagement, and hold no vendor or product affiliations. Where I hold an investment or advisory position in a related company, I say so before we start.

Procurement, contracting and NDAs

Engagements are contracted business to business through Castro Healthcare Consulting Ltd (Company No. 17216747), with professional indemnity insurance in place. NDAs are routine; much of my work is confidential by default and I am comfortable working on client paper. Where a status determination for IR35 is required, it is agreed with the client per engagement.

Do you work alongside in-house teams or other advisers?

Yes. I am often the clinical and system voice alongside in-house strategy, regulatory or communications teams, or within a larger advisory bench.

Do you advise in Spanish?

Yes. Advisory, facilitation and speaking are available in English and Spanish.

Independent Healthcare Advisory

Clinically credible, system-ready change.

An honest broker between innovators and the health system: independent of vendors, fluent in both rooms.

Book an introductory conversation

Selected highlights

National NHS leadership, now in independent practice.

From Critical Care Nurse to Consultant Midwife to National Head of Midwifery Workforce at NHS England. Now advising life sciences, health-tech and the NHS on innovation that works in practice.

NHS England (2021 to 2026), most recently National Head of Midwifery Workforce
Consultant Midwife, Barts Health NHS Trust
UK Lead Research Midwife, NIHR portfolio RCT (Salvo trial), Queen Mary University of London
Member, National Quality Standards Advisory Committee, NICE

For the full career history, see LinkedIn.

Credentials

Fellow of the Royal College of Midwives (FRCM)
MSc Public Health and Health Economics
Postgraduate Master in AI Implementation, Universidad Isabel I (in progress)
Florence Nightingale Scholar
Leadership Fellow, St George's House, Windsor Castle
Registered Midwife
BSc (Hons) Nursing, critical care background

Felipe Castro Cardona RM FRCM

Services

Senior advisory for clinical credibility, system readiness and safe adoption.

01
Maternity, Neonatal and Women's Health Advisory
Specialist counsel on maternity, neonatal and women's health pathways, safe staffing, workforce models and service design.
For providers, systems and national bodies improving maternity, neonatal and women's health services. Grounded in over two decades of…
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For providers, systems and national bodies improving maternity, neonatal and women's health services. Grounded in over two decades of clinical practice, public health experience and national midwifery workforce leadership at NHS England.
Typical outputs include workforce assessments, safe-staffing reviews, service and pathway reviews, and evidence-based options appraisals written for board and programme decisions.
Discuss this work
02
Life Sciences and Immunisation Advisory
Independent clinical and policy insight for medical affairs, market access and immunisation teams.
I work with life sciences teams in maternal and infant health, across RSV, pertussis, influenza and other immunisation programmes. I bring…
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I work with life sciences teams in maternal and infant health, across RSV, pertussis, influenza and other immunisation programmes. I bring national NHS implementation insight into patient pathways, operational delivery, multidisciplinary roles and responsibilities, and the workforce realities that shape uptake, safety and confidence in practice.
Typical engagements include advisory boards, medical affairs briefings, pathway-mapping sessions, MDT role reviews, implementation risk assessments and adoption-readiness advice for UK healthcare settings.
My counsel is independent, clinically grounded and product-neutral. I am not employed by, and hold no ownership stake in, any vaccine or medicines manufacturer. All advisory engagements are individually contracted, based on a clear advisory purpose, paid at fair market value where a fee applies, and supported by a declaration of interests.
Discuss this work
03
Strategic Advisory, System Readiness and Safe Adoption
Senior counsel on transformation, regulation, digital health and AI adoption, so change is clinically credible, operationally realistic and safe to implement.
For boards, executive teams, programme leaders and industry partners preparing for major change in complex healthcare environments. I help…
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For boards, executive teams, programme leaders and industry partners preparing for major change in complex healthcare environments. I help teams judge whether a proposal is clinically credible, operationally deliverable, appropriately governed and ready for real-world adoption.
This includes service transformation, regulatory readiness, stakeholder strategy, digital health deployment and safe AI adoption in clinical settings. The focus is on the questions that determine whether change will land safely: evidence, governance, accountability, workforce impact, workflow fit and implementation risk.
Typical engagements include readiness reviews, senior counsel to SROs and executive sponsors, clinical credibility reviews, implementation risk assessments and board-level advice ahead of major service, policy, technology or market changes. Delivered as a retainer or defined project, with outputs written for senior decision-makers.
Discuss this work
Tailored expert input
Advisory boards, expert panels, speaking, facilitation and tailored expert input in English or Spanish.
Alongside the three core advisory areas, I take on a small number of advisory boards, expert panels, speaking and facilitation engagements…
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Alongside the three core advisory areas, I take on a small number of advisory boards, expert panels, speaking and facilitation engagements where senior clinical, policy and system insight can sharpen a decision, test assumptions or move a complex conversation forward.
This includes keynotes, panels, chaired or facilitated roundtables, internal briefings, problem framing sessions and expert input in English or Spanish.
Where the need is still emerging, I can help clarify the question, shape the right engagement and agree a practical output.
Get in touch

Perspective

Why clinically facing change stalls

01
Innovation designed without the people who will deliver it.
Workforce is treated as a rollout detail rather than a design constraint, and adoption stalls at the front line.
02
Pilots that succeed, programmes that scale poorly.
What worked with motivated early adopters meets the reality of a stretched system with no readiness plan.
03
Clinical engagement mistaken for clinical endorsement.
A well-attended workshop is not a mandate, and the difference surfaces at the worst possible moment.
04
AI evaluated on accuracy, not accountability.
Tools are judged on model performance when the harder questions are workflow fit, governance and who carries the risk.
05
National policy read as local instruction.
The gap between what policy intends and what providers can operationally deliver is where most value is lost.

Testimonials

What colleagues say

Verbatim from LinkedIn recommendations. Further references available on request.

Who I work with

Trusted by organisations shaping the future of healthcare.

Healthcare organisations, NHS Trusts & ICBs
Senior counsel for executive teams navigating reform, regulation and workforce pressure.
Life sciences teams
Clinical perspective for medical affairs, immunisation and patient-pathway programmes.
Healthtech and AI-enabled healthcare companies
Safe-adoption guidance for products entering live clinical environments.
Boards, investors and advisory groups
Independent insight to inform decisions, diligence and governance in healthcare.

About the founder

Felipe Castro Cardona RM FRCM

Felipe Castro Cardona RM FRCM is a senior healthcare adviser with more than two decades of frontline clinical, operational and national leadership experience across nursing, midwifery and public health — including serving as National Head of Midwifery Clinical Workforce in the Chief Midwifery Office at NHS England.

He partners with healthcare organisations, life sciences teams and health technology companies to make innovation land safely in real clinical settings: bridging national policy, implementation realities and the safe adoption of digital and AI tools.

Ex-NHS England, Chief Midwifery Office — National Head of Midwifery Clinical Workforce
22+ years across nursing, midwifery and public health
MSc Public Health & Health Economics
National policy, implementation, workforce, immunisation & safe AI adoption

Based: London, UK — engagements global
Languages: English · Spanish
Engagement: Retainer, project, board, fractional
Independence: No vendor or product affiliations

Speaking & Expert Input

Bringing senior clinical perspective to the room.

Available for select speaking and expert input across healthcare, life sciences and technology audiences.

Keynotes
Panels
Workshops
Roundtables

Enquire about speaking

En español

Asesoría en español

Trabajo con organizaciones de salud, compañías farmacéuticas y empresas de tecnología sanitaria en España y América Latina. Ofrezco asesoría estratégica, facilitación y conferencias en español, con la misma profundidad clínica y de sistema que en inglés. Escríbame para conversar.

Consulta en español

FAQ

Questions I'm often asked

How do you typically engage?
Retainer, defined project, advisory board membership, or fractional and non-executive roles. Most relationships begin with a short, well-scoped piece of work.
How do you handle conflicts of interest?
I maintain a register of interests, disclose relevant positions at the outset of every engagement, and hold no vendor or product affiliations. Where I hold an investment or advisory position in a related company, I say so before we start.
Procurement, contracting and NDAs
Engagements are contracted business to business through Castro Healthcare Consulting Ltd (Company No. 17216747), with professional indemnity insurance in place. NDAs are routine; much of my work is confidential by default and I am comfortable working on client paper. Where a status determination for IR35 is required, it is agreed with the client per engagement.
Do you work alongside in-house teams or other advisers?
Yes. I am often the clinical and system voice alongside in-house strategy, regulatory or communications teams, or within a larger advisory bench.
Do you advise in Spanish?
Yes. Advisory, facilitation and speaking are available in English and Spanish.

Get in touch

Let's explore how we might work together.

Whether you're considering an advisory engagement, a speaking invitation or a confidential conversation, I respond personally to every enquiry.

Book an introductory conversation Send an enquiry

I respond personally to every enquiry, usually within two working days.

Clinically credible, system-ready change.

Senior advisory for clinical credibility, system readiness and safe adoption.

Maternity, Neonatal and Women's Health Advisory

Life Sciences and Immunisation Advisory

Strategic Advisory, System Readiness and Safe Adoption

Tailored expert input

Why clinically facing change stalls

Innovation designed without the people who will deliver it.

Pilots that succeed, programmes that scale poorly.

Clinical engagement mistaken for clinical endorsement.

AI evaluated on accuracy, not accountability.

National policy read as local instruction.

What colleagues say

Trusted by organisations shaping the future of healthcare.

Healthcare organisations, NHS Trusts & ICBs

Life sciences teams

Healthtech and AI-enabled healthcare companies

Boards, investors and advisory groups

Felipe Castro Cardona RM FRCM

Bringing senior clinical perspective to the room.

Asesoría en español

Questions I'm often asked

Let's explore how we might work together.