Community Health Midwife

Company: Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

About the Role:

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Band 6 Midwife to join our well-established community midwifery teams in Worcestershire. As a Community Health Midwife, you will have the opportunity to work independently while being part of an integrated team that provides excellent evidence-based care to women and families in the community.

Main Responsibilities:

• Assess and provide full range of care needs to develop, implement and evaluate programmes of care throughout the antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal period for women and their babies.
• Provide effective leadership and act as a good role model.
• Supervise junior staff and teach qualified and unqualified staff, acting as a mentor, as appropriate, providing advice and support as necessary.
• Work autonomously within guidelines and spheres of professional practice.

Key Duties:

• Patient Care:
  • Assess, develop, implement and evaluate programmes of care.
  • Be responsible for the organisation of midwifery care for the patients assigned to you.
  • Utilise the full skills of a midwife practitioner (both integral and extended) to a named caseload of women.
  • Discuss with the Team Leader development and changes both midwifery and medical, which affect patients directly and indirectly.
  • Provide care to bereaved patients and their relatives, breaking bad news and supporting other staff undergoing this process.
  • Communicate effectively with multi-disciplinary professionals and agencies, ensuring seamless care at a high standard.
  • Take appropriate action to ensure the safety of patients, including the delegation of patient care to midwives, with the appropriate level skill at all times.
  • Ensure that midwifery procedures/guidelines are implemented and maintained in accordance with the policies of the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and national guidance.
  • Ensure that acceptable standards of care are maintained and, where necessary, instigate changes in agreement with the Team Leader.
  • Be fully conversant in dealing with complex midwifery problems such as child protection issues.
• Education & Training:
  • Supervise the training of qualified and unqualified staff, and assist junior staff to develop clinical and managerial skills, in accordance with their level of competence.
  • Act as a preceptor for junior staff.
  • Participate in teaching for all learners in accordance with their objectives, working closely with local education providers.
  • Provide support and supervision as a mentor to student midwives.
  • Participate in teaching programmes as required.
  • Maintain knowledge of current midwifery practice by reading relevant journals and attending study days where appropriate, promoting research-based practice in agreement with team leader.
  • Organise and provide training programmes in accordance with the identified needs for the ward.
  • Participate in further post-registration training, as evidenced by developments in practice.
• Management:
  • Autonomously manage a caseload, making decisions and acting on care needs as they arise.
  • Participate in the co-ordinating and allocating of work to staff.
  • Inform and discuss with the Team Leader any problems regarding management and/or care of the women.
  • Maintain the custody of controlled drugs according to statutory procedure, ordering replacements, checking and administering all drugs according to the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.
  • Participate in audit programmes.
  • Take all measures to ensure safety and report all accidents/incidents to the Team Leader and to monitor the safe and effective use of all equipment and the economic use of supplies.
  • Maintain accurate management records at all times, ensuring appropriate reporting mechanisms are used.
  • Assist in other wards/department of the maternity services if the clinical situation or staffing levels demand.
  • Become familiar with ward/department budget and efficient and effective utilisation of resources.
  • Be conversant with Trust and other Policies and Procedures and mechanisms in place for effective care and efficient management of the Maternity Unit.
• Professional:
  • Maintain a professional attitude at all times, developing the role of the midwife in the best interest of the women and profession in accordance with Nursing & Midwifery Council and Midwives Rules.
  • Be responsible for maintaining accurate and contemporaneous midwifery records, written and electronic in accordance with Midwives Rules Rule 42.
  • Be aware of extended personal and professional development.
  • Attend courses and conferences as relevant according to the requirements of the role of an experienced midwife.
  • Develop competencies in the use of equipment in the clinical area, attend teaching sessions as appropriate.
  • Be conversant and comply with the Trust policies and regulations and attend compulsory lectures as instructed.
  • Maintain good standards of care and assist in the implementation of recommendations from Government and professional bodies in relation to maternity care.
  • Participate in research projects where appropriate, reporting findings within a multi-disciplinary framework.
  • Implement research projects where appropriate.
  • Be professionally accountable for one's own midwifery practice, acting in a professional manner at all times, abiding by the Midwives Rules and Codes of Practice and all other relevant UKCC/NMC and Trust practice protocols and guidelines.
  • Be responsible for the maintenance and improvement of one's own professional knowledge and competence in keeping with the practice and CPD standard, laid down by the UKCC/NMC to ensure continued professional registration.
• Personnel:
  • Participate in the selection and interviewing of junior staff within the ward/department.
  • Participate in the devising and implementation of induction programmes for newly appointed staff.
  • Assist the Team Leader in monitoring staff performance.
  • Participate in staff appraisal and the investigation of complaints and incidents.
  • Assist the Team Leader in the maintenance of day-to-day discipline within the ward/department area.
  • Inform the Team Leader of staff failing to meet the required standard of performance.
  • Counsel staff in relation to personnel and professional matters.

Person Specification:

Experience:

• Proven experience in all areas of midwifery.

Desirable:

• Management skills.
• Previous experience of working within community.

Skills/Knowledge:

Essential:

• Evidence of continuous professional development.
• Demonstrate evidence-based practice.
• Ability to formulate, review and update guidelines, protocols and standards.
• Leadership skills.
• Computer literate.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Ability to make informed decisions.
• Time management skills.
• Ability to prioritise workload.
• Ability to suture.
• Computer literate.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of computerised maternity systems.

Qualifications:

Essential:

• Registered Midwife.
• Evidence of further professional development.

Desirable:

• Evidence of advanced midwifery studies.
• Mentorship training.
• NIPE.

Job Requirements:

Essential:

• Adaptable and flexible.
• Friendly and approachable.
• Ability to cope with stress.
• Ability to support staff.
• Team Worker.
• Analytical.
• Professional attitude.
• Current NMC registration.
• Ability to travel between sites/car driver.
• Able to demonstrate knowledge of issues from the NHS, eg NICE, Clinical Governance, Informed choice, health targets.
• Willing to undertake further training relevant to post.
• Knowledge of current research in midwifery.
• Ability to participate in on-call rota.