Introduction and background Like many health systems in low-income and middle-income countries, the South African health system has failed to decrease both maternal and perinatal mortality significantly, especially in district hospitals. Inappropriately trained healthcare providers and poor clinical leadership are repeatedly linked to healthcare providers’ preventable factors contributing to most maternal and perinatal deaths. Clinical skills of healthcare providers have been largely addressed, while clinical leadership remained neglected. One strategy implemented recently to support clinical leadership is the introduction of District Clinical Specialist Teams (DCSTs). Clinical leadership in the labour ward of district hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is conceptualised as an emergent phenomenon arising from dynamic interactions in the labour ward and the broader health system, converging to attain optimal patient care.

Aim To evaluate the enablers and barriers to clinical leadership in the labour ward of district hospitals.

Method Iterative data collection and analysis, following the Corbin and Strauss grounded theory approach, was applied. In-depth interviews were carried out with the midwifery members of the DCSTs in KZN. The emergent enablers and barriers to clinical leadership were presented and discussed at a workshop with broader midwifery representation, leading to a final classification of enablers and barriers to clinical leadership.

Results and conclusion Enablers and barriers to clinical leadership arise as a result of emergent dynamic interactions within the labour ward and the broader health system, located at policy, organisational, team and individual healthcare provider levels, with the policy context as the overriding factor framing the implementation of clinical leadership.