Head of Midwifery

The main purpose of the job is to lead and be accountable for providing, strong, professional midwifery leadership to help influence and improve service delivery both from the acute hospital and community. The post holder will have the authority and accountability for workforce development with responsibility for ensuring statutory safeguarding policies and procedures are implemented within Maternity Services.

The post holder will work with the relevant Executive Director and their deputies, to shape the nursing and midwifery strategy and ensure the midwifery voice is strongly represented throughout the organisation.

On behalf of the Chief Nurse and Professional Lead for Midwifery and AHPs the Head of Midwifery (HOM) will provide a strategic and expert lead for maternity care within GHFT to ensure high quality and safe maternity services whilst seeking continuous improvement in patient care. The HOM is the professional lead for midwives within the Trust.

The HOM will have delegated professional responsibility for the neonatal nurse team and the development and integration of the SCBU with the maternity unit ensuring that staff are competent to provide high quality, women centred care adhering to and advocating for the Trust vison and values.

Here at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, we provide a range of acute, community and older peoples mental health services to our local community and beyond. We also provide specialist services to a wider population. We employ around 4,800 staff and provide 444 hospital beds across the Gateshead region. Our annual turnover is over £350 million, and we are proud to be rated as good with outstanding care by the Care Quality Commission. Our wholly owned subsidiary, QE Facilities, provides a range of high-quality non-clinical services to the Trust and other NHS bodies. We are a high performing, diverse organisation with a new Chief Executive, Trudie Davies, and a relatively new Board of Directors, and we are an organisation that makes a substantial impact through our influence across the region.

With core ambitions to become an Outstanding hospital, a centre for diagnostics, and a centre for Womens Health in the North-East, we are proud to deliver outstanding and compassionate care to our patients and communities.
- Work collaboratively with the Chief Nurse to provide strategic and expert professional midwifery leadership
- Lead improvements in the quality and safety of maternity care by representing the Trust at the Maternity Safety and Learning Network (MSLN) forums and overseeing the implementation actions from the Maternity and Neonatal Collaborative work streams.
- Use professional judgement gained from extensive experience and professional clinical and managerial knowledge to interpret and address a range of complex operational and strategic issues, making decisions and giving advice in relation to Maternity services.
- Take a lead role, supported by the Chief Nurse in developing and improving midwifery practice and education throughout the Trust, in order to ensure high quality, safe and effective health care services for patients.
- To work collaboratively with the Chief Nurse and Professional Lead for Midwifery and AHPs, safeguarding leads and other lead professionals in developing child protection strategies and policies for the Trust. Ensuring safeguarding adults guidance and polices reflect the needs of vulnerable/at risk pregnant women.
- To ensure Midwifery practice in safeguarding children and the unborn is informed by best practice, research and learning from local and national reviews.
- Support the Operational Director in delivering high quality effective services within budget, identifying opportunities for cost improvement where possible.
- To contribute to the annual business plan for Maternity services.
- Lead and support the antenatal and new-born screening co-ordinator to implement antenatal and new-born screening programmes in line with the UK NSC recommendations.
- Lead and support the provision of high quality, safe and effective patient care and services and continuous improvement of the patient experience by providing effective, professional midwifery leadership to the business unit.
- Support the Operational Director and Service Line Manager by leading the strategic development of the maternity services and SCBU.
- Represent the Trust in relation to midwifery and maternity matters at external forums including the Northern Regional Maternity Network, Regional Clinical Advisory Group, North of England Maternity Transformation board/Local Maternity system board member/Regional heads of midwifery group and Clinical Commissioning Forums.
- To represent the Trust at the Integrated Care Board and relevant Local Authorities when maternity representation is required
- Along with the Service Line Manager and Clinical lead be responsible for the implementation and evaluation of risk management processes within the maternity services
- Responsibl