Neonatal Care Midwife Specialist

Job Overview

Are you dedicated to providing exceptional maternity care? At Northampton General Hospital, we are committed to delivering outstanding Maternity Services.

Our Maternity facilities include:

- A contemporary 3-bed Birth Centre with birthing pools and 8 postnatal beds

- A 9-bed consultant-led Labour Ward featuring a birthing pool

- A specialized Obstetric theatre with recovery facilities

- A dedicated triage area within the Labour ward

- A Bereavement Suite with a serene garden

- A Maternity Day Unit, Outpatient Clinic, and Midwifery-led Sonography services

- A 17-bedded ward for inpatient antenatal and postnatal mothers and infants

- A 6-bedded Transitional Care Ward to minimize separation between mothers and their babies

Our Community Midwifery Services have been recognized with the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) Award for Excellence in Care During a Global Pandemic in 2021.

As a Pathway to Excellence Hospital, we actively engage in shared decision-making councils within Maternity. Our initiatives include:

- Wellbeing programs for staff

- Recognition of our colleagues through the Maternity Stars and Daisy award schemes

With a current delivery rate of 4,200 births and ambitious plans to transform maternity services in alignment with Better Births recommendations, this is an exciting opportunity to join our team and lead through a period of transformation.

Key Responsibilities

The successful candidate will be responsible for:

Leading the implementation and compliance with the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle (SBLCB) at Northampton General Hospital and within the Local Maternity Neonatal System (LMNS). The care bundle focuses on:

- Reducing smoking during pregnancy

- Assessing and monitoring pregnancies at risk of Small for Gestational Age (SGA) and Fetal Growth Restriction (FGR)

- Raising awareness of reduced fetal movements

- Minimizing preterm births

- Managing pre-existing diabetes

Supporting the SBLCB matron, team midwives, quality & audit lead, professional development team, and lead midwife for risk/governance to enhance birth outcomes through audit, research, data collection, and training. Collaborating with the multidisciplinary team (MDT) to fully implement all aspects of the SBLCB.

About Northampton General Hospital

Northampton General Hospital is a major employer in the region, embarking on an exciting journey of improvement and modernization across all divisions. We have partnered with Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to form the University Hospitals of Northamptonshire.

Our Core Values

- Compassion

- Accountability

- Respect

- Integrity

- Courage

We aim to recruit the best talent to deliver our services and unleash everyone's full potential. We value effective communication and promote our vacancies to all communities.

We are a Defence positive trust, supporting reservists, veterans, spouses, and partners.

The Hospital Group encourages applications from individuals identifying with all protected groups, particularly those from BAME, Disabled, and LGBTQ+ backgrounds, as these groups are underrepresented in our hospitals.

We recognize the importance of working with colleagues from diverse backgrounds to create an inclusive and collaborative environment.

We have active networks that promote and support colleagues, ensuring everyone feels valued and has a sense of belonging within our hospitals.

Professional Responsibilities

Communication

Engage with key stakeholders to maximize the success of the SBLCB.

Provide timely and accurate progress reports to all stakeholders.

Collaborate with senior midwives and midwifery managers to gather evidence for achieving SBLCB at all levels.

Work closely with the SBLCB Matron, Midwives, Lead Midwife for education, risk and governance, and quality improvement to meet key deliverables.

Develop and implement action plans to address identified deficiencies and report regularly to the senior midwifery team.

Maintain communication with relevant individuals regarding any issues related to the SBLCB.

Establish communication networks with local and national teams to enhance maternal and neonatal outcomes.

Communicate effectively with individuals considering their understanding, culture, and preferred communication styles.

Lead the establishment, implementation, and monitoring of standards required by the care bundle.

Actively participate as a member of the midwifery services, collaborating with other healthcare professionals and agencies. Be prepared to work as a maternity operational manager on a rota basis.

Leadership

Serve as a role model for effective clinical leadership, enabling others to advance initiatives aimed at implementing the SBLCB and reducing stillbirth rates.

Stay informed about NHS initiatives and assist in change management.

Ensure adherence to Trust policies and guidelines, with regular updates for staff.

Maintain current records and progress reports on individual projects related to the SBLCB.

Contribute to maintaining high departmental standards by achieving individual and team objectives.

Actively participate in setting and achieving personal objectives.

Support senior staff and departmental matrons, exercising leadership skills to foster high morale.

Facilitate effective team collaboration.

Regularly communicate with the senior midwifery team regarding progress with the care bundle, Trust objectives, plans, and business developments.

Be prepared to work clinically during periods of high activity.

Organizational Responsibilities

Utilize resources efficiently and effectively, maintaining operational standards and ensuring regular testing and maintenance of all equipment.

Play a lead role in achieving and maintaining high service standards, utilizing clinical audits, environmental audits, and consumer satisfaction surveys effectively.

Delegate tasks appropriately.

Be accountable for professional practice.

Participate in service development to meet evolving needs.

Accurately record information and complete midwifery documentation in compliance with NMC standards.

Collaborate with SBLCB Lead Midwives to provide reports on SBLCB delivery at clinical governance meetings and at Trust and Integrated Care Board levels.

Raise any issues for escalation to the SBLCB matron.

Attend and present at wider network meetings as required.

Work with the audit lead to ensure the clinical audit program meets SBLCB requirements.

Foster a culture that encourages midwives to engage in and disseminate research evidence within clinical areas.

Promote a research culture that enables midwives to reflect on their practice and enhance care and birth outcomes.

Support the development of a learning culture to inform practice changes.

Lead the development of clinical audit cycles related to the SBLCB.

Clinical Knowledge and Skills

Collaborate with and support the lead midwife for preterm birth, fetal monitoring, reduced fetal movement, pre-existing diabetes, and smoking cessation to meet SBLCB requirements.

Raise awareness of fetal surveillance through training and provision of up-to-date patient information and guidelines.

Ensure continuous audit of the management of women presenting with reduced fetal movements, sharing learning from incidents or feedback with all staff.

Ensure training programs and competency assessments for midwives, doctors, and sonographers on screening pregnancies at risk of fetal growth restriction are completed and compliance is regularly reviewed.

Ensure all relevant staff are trained in risk assessments, surveillance systems, and that audits are conducted regularly to monitor compliance.

Center care provision around the woman at all times.

Serve as a resource for women, their families, and colleagues.

Teaching and Learning

Assist professional development midwives in creating and delivering training programs that meet service needs and SBLCB requirements.

Collaborate with Ward Sisters, Matrons, and Heads of Midwifery to review the Departmental Training Plan and Clinical/Midwifery Strategy, ensuring alignment with SBLCB requirements.

Take responsibility for identifying, coordinating, and providing up-to-date training on relevant SBLCB aspects for the multidisciplinary team.

Support learning opportunities during ward rounds, safety huddles, and handovers.

Lead the successful implementation of role objectives and highlight areas needing development to Consultant Midwives.

Utilize effective time management skills and conduct regular one-on-ones with the SBLCB matron to ensure optimal service and personal development.

Training and Development

Maintain training records for staff related to the SBLCB training program.

Network and establish connections with other SBLCB regional or nationwide networks to benchmark practices and enhance professional development.

Uphold professional conduct and pursue ongoing professional development through knowledge updates and attendance at study days.

Produce training statistics and reports as required for CNST/LMNS.

Additional Information

The post holder may be required to undertake other relevant duties as necessary.

The post holder will adhere to the Staff Responsibilities outlined in the NHS Constitution in their daily work and behaviors.

The post holder is expected to embody the Trust's Values in their daily work and behaviors to support the Trust in achieving its Vision.

The post holder will familiarize themselves with and adhere to the Trust's policies and procedures in their area of work.

The post holder will work towards personal, Corporate, Divisional, Directorate, and Departmental objectives and standards to provide an acceptable level of service.

The post holder will participate in training, including mandatory and role-specific training, relevant to their role and ensure it is renewed as required.

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