Labour Ward Coordinator

To take responsibility for the day to day running of Labour Ward. Ensure delivery of safe and effective care across the maternity unit through effective management of staff and resources across the unit. Act as a visible leader within the Maternity Unit and undertake the role of Senior Clinical Midwife for the maternity unit out of hours. Maintain a safe and clean environment for staff and service users by ensuring compliance with legislation, polices, protocols including health and safety, healthcare associated infection, risk management and critical incident reporting.

Promote a positive professional attitude for the profession and the Trust at all times. Maintain staff morale and good working relationships. Communicate effectively with multi-disciplinary professionals and agencies, ensuring seamless care at a high standard. Ensure that a high level of safe care is delivered to women and their babies whilst adhering to obstetric guidance and care plans by providing specialist midwifery expertise and ensuring that all staff are supported in their practice on a continual basis.

Ensure the dignity, respect and privacy of all women being cared for on Labour Ward is maintained at all times. Ensure that Maternity Service Guidelines are implemented and monitored in accordance with the Trust and NMC Guidance. Maintain expert evidence-based professional knowledge and competence. Be an expert in all midwifery and clinical competencies including normalising birth across the risk continuum, water births, bereavement care, obstetric emergencies, perineal suturing, epidural analgesia, intravenous cannulation, adult and neonatal resuscitation, scrubbing for theatre and post-operative recovery.

Be able to demonstrate, supervise and support other midwives and maternity support workers in these skills. Support the clinical expertise of midwives within the Maternity Unit by role modelling evidence based care and personalised, women-centred care. Demonstrate overt professional leadership and clinical expertise and foster a culture where all staff can develop their clinical expertise and confidence and feel valued. To work with the Labour Ward Manager wand Matron to share and drive innovation within the workforce and maternity service.

To act as an advocate for women, and in line with the National Maternity Review ensure that every woman has personalised care that is centred on their individual needs and circumstances. With the introduction of the Continuity of Carer pathway act as the contact for the community and continuity midwives during out of hours home births and provide advice and support as required when they practice on the maternity unit. Actively support and provide a link between labour ward and continuity of carer teams. Ensure that initial appropriate care/remedial action is taken to ensure safety of women and staff and actions are clearly documented and escalated in the most relevant appropriate manner.

Anticipate potential problems and develop contingency plans to resolve or effectively manage these situations. Maintain accurate management records at all times, ensuring appropriate reporting mechanisms are used. Coordinate and liaise with multidisciplinary agencies to provide care to women and their families with additional needs, for e.g. psychiatric, social problems, child protection, disability etc.

Ensure bereaved women and their relatives are supported and receive appropriate care, whilst ensuring other staff are supported during this process. Be professionally accountable for own midwifery practice, acting in a professional manner at all times abiding by the NMC Code and all other relevant NMC and the Trusts values, policies and guidelines. Be responsible for the annual appraisal and performance review of an identified group of colleagues.