Job summary
We have an exciting opportunity for you to join our maternity services working
in a continuity of carer team. If you have a passion for providing women
centred care, following a woman's journey through pregnancy, labour and the
postnatal period then continuity will provide you with the room to provide
holistic and flexible care.
We are committed to the national maternity agenda and also have an impressive home birth record.
Please join our forward thinking continuity midwifery teams,
previous community experience not essential. We will support your needs when
transferring to this model of care.
Main duties of the job
When working in one of our established teams, you would
have time where you can see the antenatal and postnatal patients under your
care, and other times where you will be available to care for women in labour both in hospital and at home. You and your team write your own rota, decide on annual leave and support each
other in weekly team meetings. This allows you to gain transferrable skills
such as time management, managing your own caseload and team working.
You will have the opportunity to work independently yet be part of a small integrated team of midwives who are geographically based across our county. When thinking of joining a continuity team, we would consider your preference about where would work for you to work depending on where you live.
About us
Our purpose is simple - Putting Patients First. We are looking for exceptional colleagues who can help us achieve this.
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.
The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester
Our workforce is nearly 6,800 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care. You could be one of them.
We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us to achieve our Vision - working in partnership to provide the best healthcare for our communities, leading and supporting our teams to move 4ward. Our 4ward behaviours, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.
Our objectives are simple:
- Best services for local people
- Best experience of care and best outcomes for our patients
- Best use of resources
- Best people
Better never stops, and our Clinical Services Strategy provides a clear future vision for our Trust, our hospitals, our services and our role in the wider health and care system.
We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Job Purpose:
- To assess and provide the full range of care needs to develop, implement and evaluate programmes of
care throughout the antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal period for women and their babies.
- To provide effective leadership and to act as a good role model.
- To supervise junior staff and to teach qualified and unqualified staff, acting as a mentor, as appropriate,
providing advice and support as necessary.
- Work autonomously within guidelines and spheres of professional practice.
Key Duties:
Patient Care:
- To assess, develop, implement and evaluate programmes of care.
- To be responsible for the organisation of midwifery care for the patients assigned to you.
- Utilise the full skills of a midwife practitioner (both integral and extended) to a named caseload of
women.
- To discuss with the Team Leader development and changes both midwifery and medical, which
affect patients directly and indirectly.
- Provide care to bereaved patients and their relatives, breaking bad news and supporting other staff
undergoing this process.
- Communicate effectively with multi-disciplinary professionals and agencies, ensuring seamless care
at a high standard.
- To take appropriate action to ensure the safety of patients. To report any accidents/incidents to the
Team Leader and submit an incident report.
- To ensure that midwifery procedures/guidelines are implemented and maintained in accordance
with the policies of the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and national guidance.
- To ensure that acceptable stands of care are maintained and, where necessary, instigate changes
in agreement with the Team, Team Leader and Project Leads.
- To be fully conversant in dealing with complex midwifery problems such as child protection issues.
Education & Training:- Supervise the training of qualified and unqualified staff, and assist junior staff to develop clinical and
managerial skills, in accordance with their level of competence.
- To act as a preceptor for junior staff.
- To participate in teaching for all learners in accordance with their objectives, working closely with local
education providers.
- To provide support and supervision to student midwives.
- To promote the role of the PMA as key to staff health and wellbeing.
- To participate in teaching programmes as required.
- Maintain knowledge of current midwifery practice by reading relevant journals and attending study days
where appropriate, promoting research based practice in agreement with team leader.
- To organise and provide training programmes in accordance with the identified needs of the service.
- To participate in further post-registration training, as evidenced by developments in practice.
Management:
- To autonomously manage a caseload, making decisions and acting on care needs as they arise.
- To participate in the co-ordinating and allocating of work to staff.
- To inform and discuss with the Team Leader/Project Lead MWs any problems regarding management
and/or care of the women.
- Maintain the custody of controlled drugs according to statutory procedure, ordering replacements,
checking and administering all drugs according to the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.
- To participate in audit programmes.
- To take all measures to ensure safety and report all accidents/incidents to the Team Leader/Project
Lead MWs and to monitor the safe and effective use of all equipment and the economic use of supplies.
- Maintain accurate management records at all times, ensuring appropriate reporting mechanisms are
used.
- To assist in other wards/department of the maternity services if the clinical situation or staffing levels
demand.
- To become familiar with ward/department budget and efficient and effective utilisation of resources.
- Be conversant with Trust and other Policies and Procedures and mechanisms in place for effective care
and efficient management of the Maternity Unit.
Professional:- To maintain a professional attitude at all times developing the role of the midwife in the best interest of
the women and profession in accordance with Nursing & Midwifery Council and Midwives Rules.
- Be responsible for maintaining accurate and contemporaneous midwifery records, written and electronic
in accordance with Midwives Rules (1998) Rule 42.
- To be aware of extended personal and professional development.
- To attend courses and conferences as relevant according to the requirements of the role of an
experienced midwife.
- Develop competencies in the use of equipment in the clinical area, attend teaching sessions as
appropriate.
- To be part of an on call rota for homebirths and the provision of intrapartum care in the Maternity Unit.
- To attend courses and conferences as relevant.
- To be conversant and comply with the Trust policies and regulations and attend compulsory lectures as
instructed.
- To maintain good standards of care and assist in the implementation of recommendations from
Government and professional bodies in relation to maternity care.
- Participate in research projects where appropriate, reporting findings within a multi-disciplinary
framework.
- Implement research projects where appropriate.
- To be professionally accountable for ones own midwifery practice, acting in a professional manner at
all times abiding by the Midwives Rules and Codes of Practice and all other relevant RCM/NMC and
Trust practice protocols and guidelines.
- To be responsible for the maintenance and improvement of own professional knowledge and
competence in keeping with the practice and CPD standard, laid down by the RCM/NMC to ensure
continued professional registration.
Personnel:
- To participate in the selection and interviewing of junior staff within the ward/department.
- Participate in the devising and implementation of induction programmes for newly appointed staff.
- To assist the Team Leader/Project Leads in monitoring staff performance.
- Participate in staff appraisal and the investigation of complaints and incidents.
- To assist the Team Leader/Project Leads in the maintenance of day to day discipline within the
ward/department area.
- To inform the Team Leader/Project Leads of staff failing to meet the required standard of performance.
- To counsel staff in relation to personnel and professional matters
Person Specification
Job Requirements
Essential
- Adaptable and flexible
- Friendly and approachable
- Ability to cope with stress
- Ability to support staff
- Team Worker
- Analytical
- Professional attitude
- Current NMC registration
- Ability to travel between sites/car driver
- Able to demonstrate knowledge of issues from the NHS, eg NICE,
- Clinical Governance, Informed choice, health targets
- Willing to undertake further training relevant to post
- Knowledge of current research in midwifery
- Ability to participate in on-call rota
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Midwife
- Evidence of further professional development.
Desirable
- Evidence of advanced midwifery studies.
- Mentorship training
- NIPE
Experience
Essential
- Proven experience in all areas of midwifery
- Evidence of continuous professional development
- Demonstrate evidence based practice
- Ability to formulate, review and update guidelines, protocols and
- standards
- Leadership skills
- Computer literate
- Excellent communication skills
- Ability to make informed decisions
- Time management skills
- Ability to prioritise workload
- Ability to suture
- Computer literate
Desirable
- Management skills
- Previous experience of working within community.
- Previous experience of working in Continuity of Carer model
- Knowledge of computerised maternity systems
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Employer details
Employer name
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Address
Charles Hastings Way
Worcester
Worcestershire
WR5 1DD
Employer's website
https://www.worcsacute.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)