Deputy Director of Midwifery

Job description

Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is the only acute hospital provider in the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System (ICS), which is a system of health and care partners working together for our local population.

Within Mid and South Essex there are 149 GP practices, operating from over 200 sites, forming 27 Primary Care Networks and one Ambulance Trust. There are also three main community and mental health service providers who work together through a community collaborative.

We collaborate with other valuable partners, including three Healthwatch organisations, nine voluntary and community sector organisations and three top tier local authorities, with seven district, borough and city councils, as well as our local universities.

Job overview

The Deputy Director of Midwifery and Neonates will lead the strategic direction of the Perinatal Health Clinical Service Unit (CSU) which includes maternity services and neonatal services. The postholder will work closely with the Clinical Leads for both Obstetrics and Neonatal services, the Divisional Clinical Director and the Deputy Directors of Operations r on service provision and development.

Provide expert advice on complex midwifery issues to the Director of Nursing and to the Trust Executive Team and Board of Director. The post holder will be a member of the Directorate Management Team and will support the Director of Midwifery in delivering the directorates strategic direction, ensuring that the directorate contributes significantly to the achievement of corporate objectives and that effective governance arrangements within the framework of PSIRF are implemented and maintained. They will contribute to service and business planning and workforce development within maternity services.

Act for the Director of Midwifery when required at the Divisional Board and site and Group meetings. As one of the leadership midwives across MSE the postholder will be required to undertake professional corporate duties and represent MSE externally as required by the Director of Midwifery or Chief Nursing Officer.

You will be responsible for the delivery of high and consistently safe standards of maternity and neonatal care across all clinical areas.

Main duties of the job

• Contribute to the development of the midwifery and nursing profession through proactive involvement in local, regional and national forums
• Take overall responsibility for Perinatal Health responses to complaints ensuring responses are produced to the required standards in relation to timeframes and quality and are sensitive to the needs of the patients and their families.
• Provide expert nursing advice to Senior Management Teams / Board on strategic planning, policy, governance and legislation or formulate long term strategic plans - highly complex activities to be planned and organised which are on-going and may require adjustments.
• Lead on the preparation for external assessments and inspections being Responsible for supporting and leading on external bodies such as Care Quality Commission and to prepare action plans in response to areas of improvement and identify mechanisms to provide assurance on the quality of care being provide
• Interpret overall health service policy and strategy in relation to the provision of maternity care in order to establish goals and standards.
• To be jointly accountable with the Clinical Leads for Obstetrics & Neonatal Services to the Divisional General Manager and Divisional Clinical Director for the financial performance of all services within Women's Health, delegating authority to the Heads of Department as appropriate

Working for our organisation

Our ambition is to deliver excellent local and specialist services, to improve the health and well being of our patients, and provide a vibrant place for staff to develop, innovate and build careers.

We aim to make the most of our skills and experiences so we can become the best we can be. As one organisation we will recruit the finest and retain more specialist staff due to more employment opportunities across our Trust.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Are you looking for an exciting role using your unique qualities, then we want to hear from you.

For full details about this varied and rewarding role, please see attached job description.

We look forward to your application.

Please be aware that we reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a suitable number of applications.

Person specification

Essential

Essential criteria

• Registered practicing midwife
• Significant evidence of continuous professional development
• Masters degree or equivalent level of experience
• Strong leadership qualities with the ability to provide clear direction
• Significant budget management experience, including reducing costs, monitoring and determining corrective action.
• Strong communication skills, written and oral, with individuals and groups. Present highly complex information.

Desirable criteria

• Previous experience at 8c level
• Demonstrable experience of change management

Essential

Essential criteria

• Signifcant evidence of continuous professional development
• Significant evidence of Management Development study pertaining to the role
• Knowledge of key policies and strategies

Please be aware as per the new Immigration guidelines we cannot sponsor candidates with a salary (full time or pro Rata) under the current minimum threshold.

Please note, the selection processes at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust are in place to ensure we recruit candidates with the right skills and values, please be advised that the use of AI in applications are monitored. We remain vigilant against candidates who misuse these tools to generate an application that doesn't accurately reflect their skills, and you will be required to declare on your application if AI has been used before submitting your application.

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