Senior Community Midwife - Vulnerable Team (Liberty)

Job description

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main duties of the job

To provide clinical leadership to members of the Liberty Team, including clinical supervision, practice audit, development and training.

To provide line management, guidance and support to a team of midwives and student midwives.

To provide clinical expertise, advice and guidance across the team as required.

To support the effective and efficient running of all community services.

To liaise fully with all Community Team Leaders and Senior Managers.

To provide safe and effective midwifery care to vulnerable women/service users whilst working in partnership within a multidisciplinary and multiagency team.

To ensure comprehensive, compassionate and enhanced midwifery care to vulnerable clients while providing the highest standard of individualised and holistic patient care, in alongside the multidisciplinary team.

Managerial Responsibilities:

To lead and coordinate the provision of care to vulnerable women/birthing people throughout the puerperium.

To ensure excellent and timely communication with the wider Senior Management Team and to escalate any concerns appropriately.

To provide effective line management, support and guidance to team members taking responsibility for appraisals, absence management, personal development, and staff communication in line with the Trusts policies.

To provide support and supervision to staff and students across the team.

To work in partnership with the multidisciplinary team as well as any other agencies involved in the care, to ensure the delivery of seamless services.

To ensure all resources, human, financial and environmental, are used in the most economic, efficient and equitable way.

To ensure that Health and Safety requirements are met and that risks to service users and staff are assessed and action taken to minimise these

To participate in the development, monitoring and audit of policies and SOPs relating to clinical practice and care, and ensure that these are adhered to across all areas of work within maternity.

To act as a representative of the organisation taking part in professional relationships, collaborative working and external promotional activities as appropriate.

Lead regular team/ project meetings that are facilitated in an open and honest manner.

Communicate clearly with team members and contribute to the planning and organisation of work.

To identify and manage poor performance issues.

To alert senior managers to resource issues which affect learning development and performance.

To diffuse challenging behaviour, ensuring that the situation is managed in a sensitive way.

Deal personally with women/birthing people and their families in order to aid resolution of complaints.

Report all incidents, complaints, and accidents appropriately and undertake investigation and resolution as appropriate.

Demonstrate interpersonal skills, reflecting an understanding of the need to communicate effectively with women/birthing people, colleagues and other professionals.

Responsibility for Care Of Women / Birthing People and their families (including monitoring, diagnostics and investigations):

Clinical Responsibilities

To provide advice and guidance based on best evidence to all members of the team.

To act as a resource to staff regarding aspects of clinical practice and care.

To act as a Co-ordinator and/or in support of the wider community team on a rostered basis.

To ensure a high standard of individualised holistic care and support is delivered to clients, promoting empowerment, advocacy and partnership.

To ensure that clinical documentation is up to date and adheres to record keeping standards.

To support the Practice Education team to embed evidence based midwifery care.

To monitor standards of care, participating in audit and required actions.

To maintain agreed governance processes through incident reporting, investigating and risk assessment.

To maintain an up to date knowledge and awareness of issues around the national maternity agenda, ensuring effective communication across multidisciplinary agencies and adherence to Trust policies.

To assess, plan, implement and evaluate midwifery care for mothers/birthing persons and babies, obtaining informed consent throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period.

To undertake midwifery care consistent with evidence based practice, transferring and applying knowledge and skills to meet the needs of women/birthing people and their families.

Communications:

Ensure confidentiality is maintained at all times according to Nursing and Midwifery Council guidelines. Attention is drawn to the confidential aspects of this post. Any breach of confidence may result in disciplinary proceedings potentially resulting in dismissal/ civil action.

To contribute to the development of a learning environment.

To communicate effectively with a wide range of people to explore complex issues and make complex decisions.

To effectively communicate complex and sensitive condition related information to women/birthing people and their families that require empathy and reassurance.

To competently receive sensitive information concerning a mothers/birthing persons care pathway and provide information using reassuring skills as required. For example, breaking bad news/ special needs/ dealing with anxious relatives.

To agree the arrangements for communication with the woman/birthing people and their family and to document these in accordance with Trust policy and the client's rights to confidentiality.

To influence and prioritise the development of knowledge, ideas and work practice in self and others.

To identify and manage challenging behaviour.

To ensure that essential information on the mother/birthing persons or their baby's condition and progress is recorded appropriately according to Nursing and Midwifery Council guidelines.

Maintain contemporaneous records at all times in accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council 'Midwives' Rules'

Team Working:

Meet every morning with other members of the team for clinical support and information sharing.

Create an environment in which excellent clinical care will flourish and individuals take ownership for their own development.

To identify clear benefits, goals and processes for developing knowledge, ideas and work practice in self.

To inspire others with one's own values and vision and encourage them to seek advice and solutions to problems.

To work in line with the Trusts THRIVE values.

To anticipate, plan and advocate for development/ change and benefits whilst challenging others to take an active part in developing knowledge, ideas and work practice.

To recognise, communicate the achievements of the team and the individuals within the team.

Ensure the focus of midwifery care reflects the Trust's vaues and agreed policies and protocols.

Planning and Organising:

To prioritise the care pathways identified for clients and positively influence the assessment, planning, delivery and evaluation of midwifery care.

To monitor progress of work recognising changing priorities and implement corrective actions within own limits and informing the relevant people.

Ensure own data and audit collection is maintained and submitted as required.

Partnership working/ service development

To adhere to trust policies and procedures relating to own workplace to contribute to service development.

To evaluate current policies and procedures in relation to the care of woman/birthing people who are vulnerable.

To identify outcomes of evaluation and offer constructive views on how the service should change as a result.

Promote the profession of midwifery and ensure midwifery care is evidence based and in line with best practice.

Embrace the public health agenda and support the delivery of local plans.

To implement and propose changes to policies/ practices in own area.

To evaluate with others the effectiveness of any changes and how these have improved services.

Implement Clinical Governance initiatives by acting as a change agent and taking a proactive role in service development.

Analysis and Data Management:

Ensure the processes are in place to identify, collect and evaluate information in order to support clinical decision- making.

To identify, analyse and interpret facts and information to support the management of women/birthing people throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period.

To utilise the appropriate judgemental skills when assessing and advising mothers/birthing persons and their relatives in crisis situations.

To undertake data collection and submission effectively using the agreed systems.

Research, Development and Audit:

Quality

To act as a role model by ensuring own actions promote quality and identify and manage any risks.

To keep up to date and act consistently with quality standards and guidelines within own clinical area and associated areas.

To participate in the development of the quality agenda and contribute to improving standards of care.

Audit:

To participate in audit/benchmarking within the clinical area supporting the introduction of change in practice if indicated.

Freedom to Act:

Accountable for own professional actions undertaking all duties having regard to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) 'Code of Professional Conduct' for the nurse, midwife and health visitor and their professional contribution to Clinical Governance.

Not directly supervised.

Is guided by trust protocols and codes of conduct.

Be aware of Trust Fire Regulations, cardiac arrest and major accident procedures.

Adhere to Trust grievance and disciplinary procedures.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Registered Midwife (NMC)
• Evidence of ongoing Education and Learning
• SSSA or Mentorship qualification (997 or equivalent)
• Degree or DipHE in Midwifery
• Practicing Midwife

Desirable criteria

• Evidence of further education relating to complex social care needs and perinatal mental health or relevant experience.
• Leadership Qualification
• Education to Masters Level

Experience

Essential criteria

• Qualified Midwife
• Rotational midwifery experience
• Experience of effective collaborative working with professionals from other agencies and disciplines. Conflict Resolution
• First-hand experience of supporting women experiencing safeguarding concerns

Desirable criteria

• Experience in multi-agency working.
• Experience of clinical audit
• Experience of people management
• Experience of quality improvement

Knowledge

Essential criteria

• Understanding of the need of confidentiality awareness at all times
• Evidence based client centred care
• Demonstrates continual professional development
• Knowledge of research and audit
• Knowledge of national maternity drivers relating to complex social issues and policies.
• Demonstrate in depth knowledge of public health agenda relating to maternity

Desirable criteria

• Awareness of resource management and budget control.

Skills

Essential criteria

• Teaching Skills
• High standards of clinical performance.
• Ability to manage caseload & demonstrate effective time management
• Leadership and motivational skills.
• Reflective practitioner

Desirable criteria

• People Management

It is an exciting time to join the newly formed Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. We run two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Our 7,500 staff provide high quality care for a growing population of around 700,000 across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas.

You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. Travel between hospital sites may be required. We have state-of-the art facilities placing us at the heart of cutting edge health care. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.

All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering their first six months in post.

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