Infant Feeding Coordinator

Band 7 - 37.5 Hours

An exciting opportunity has arisen in the Maternity Directorate to lead the Infant Feeding Team. The OUH FT is looking to appoint a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual, who is an experienced leader with demonstrable knowledge and experience of the infant feeding agenda.

We are looking for a motivated leader who can work in a cohesive, collaborative and forward thinking way to support midwives and families with all aspects of infant feeding and ensure UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiatives standards are implemented and maintained. The focus is to promote breast feeding and provide responsive woman centred care.

The post holder will work collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team, neonatal services and external agencies to ensure pathways are in place to support women. Through education and clinical support, you will empower staff with the skills and knowledge to support infant feeding and parent-infant relationship building.

The Infant Feeding Coordinator’s key role is to lead the implementation, delivery and monitoring of the OUH FT infant feeding strategy for the Maternity Directorate. Leading to an overall improvement in breast feeding rates and an organisational culture that successfully supports women in their choice of infant feeding.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest NHS teaching trusts in the country. It provides a wide range of general and specialist clinical services and is a base for medical education, training and research.

The Trust comprises of four hospitals - the John Radcliffe Hospital, Churchill Hospital and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Headington and the Horton General Hospital in Banbury.

Our values, standards and behaviours define the quality of clinical care we offer and the professional relationships we make with our patients, colleagues and the wider community. We call this Delivering Compassionate Excellence and its focus is on our values of compassion, respect, learning, delivery, improvement and excellence. These values put patients at the heart of what we do and underpin the quality healthcare we would like for ourselves or a member of our family. Watch how we set out to deliver compassionate excellence via the OUH YouTube channel.
- Coordinate the development and implementation of the Infant feeding strategy across areas and disciplines within the maternity services, leading to an overall improvement in breast feeding rates.
- To provide expert and professional leadership and support for staff by demonstrating a commitment to best practice in infant feeding
- To oversee the monitoring, audit, action planning and evaluation of the infant feeding strategy across areas; to include regular feedback reports to the service on progress
- To Coordinate the production of policies, tools, guidelines and materials for staff and parents.
- Lead the infant feeding team to include the coordination with, and the management of, the infant feeding leads in each area, Breastfeeding Clinic and other infant feeding support services.
- Coordination and development of an infant feeding training programme across disciplines and areas which meets the Baby Friendly Initiative standards for education. To include evaluation of the effectiveness of the programme including audit, modification and updating as required.
- To provide expert feeding advice and support in all clinical areas and Breast-Feeding Clinic. To include the organisation and delivery of supervision of practical breastfeeding skills to staff in clinical areas.
- Convening infant feeding forums across disciplines (including voluntary) and areas to provide support for multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working.
- To monitor the safe and effective use of all equipment and the economic use of supplies, ordering replacement equipment together with the maintenance of that equipment.
- To develop close working links with the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
- To be responsive and involved in the investigation of complaints regarding feeding.