Developmental Labour Ward Coordinator

Job Summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a dynamic and highly motivated midwife to develop in the role of Labour Ward Clinical Coordinator at Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. This is a 12-month secondment position.

As a Labour Ward Clinical Coordinator, you will work in partnership with other midwives, ward managers, and medical obstetric colleagues to ensure an excellent standard of care is provided to women and their families.

You will be located on Labour Ward and Triage, providing clinical care and leadership guidance, support, and advice to other members of the team, over a 24-hour period.

Our ideal candidate will have a wide range of clinical skills and be keen to take part in the leadership of the unit. You will work collaboratively with the multi-disciplinary team and strive to improve the quality of our services.

Applications are welcomed from passionate Band 6 and Band 7 midwives, who have a strong commitment to midwifery practice and have recent experience of labour care and an understanding of both low and high-risk antenatal pathways.

Main Duties of the Job

During the secondment, the successful candidate will develop the necessary skills to be a Labour Ward Clinical Coordinator.

The Labour Ward Clinical Coordinator has continuing responsibility to coordinate Labour Ward and Triage, demonstrating excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

The Labour Ward Clinical Coordinator will facilitate innovative and evidence-based midwifery practice through professional leadership and supporting the clinical team.

The Labour Ward Clinical Coordinator will act as a credible and professional role model and encourage and empower other staff to develop both personally and professionally to achieve their maximum potential.

The Labour Ward Clinical Coordinator must maintain an awareness of the condition of all Labour Ward patients as well as high-risk patients on the Antenatal and Postnatal ward.

The Labour Ward Clinical Coordinator will participate in Medical staff handovers and Consultant ward rounds.

The Labour Ward Clinical Coordinator will assist in managing workload, skill mixes, staffing levels, and bed availability.

About Us

Our purpose is simple - Putting Patients First. We are looking for exceptional colleagues who can help us achieve this.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialized hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialized services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.

The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch, and Worcester.

Our workforce is over 7,000 strong, and our caring staff are recognized as providing good and outstanding patient-centered care. You could be one of them.

We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us to achieve our Vision - working in partnership to provide the best healthcare for our communities, leading and supporting our teams to move 4ward. Our 4ward behaviours, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do.

Our Objectives

• Best services for local people
• Best experience of care and best outcomes for our patients
• Best use of resources
• Best people

Better never stops, and our Clinical Services Strategy provides a clear future vision for our Trust, our hospitals, our services, and our role in the wider health and care system.

We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organization as a flex-positive employer.

Job Responsibilities

Patient Care

Provide specialist midwifery expertise, ensuring all staff are supported in their practice on a day-to-day and ongoing basis.

To ensure the assessment, development, and evaluation of programs of care in order to coordinate the holistic needs of the patients. To be responsible for the organization of midwifery care of the patients who have been assigned to the area.

To take measures to ensure the safety of patients, which includes delegation of patient care to midwives with the appropriate levels of skills at all times, making adjustments as workload and caseload alter, using developed decision-making skills. To report any incidents/accidents to the ward manager/Matron. Assist in the investigation of complaints and implement recommendations arising from these investigations.

To facilitate research-based practice within the ward/department and ensure appropriate implementation.

To ensure that Midwifery Guidelines/Protocols are implemented and maintained in accordance with the Policies of the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and NMC Guidance.

To ensure good standards of practice in the ward/department, through participation in effective quality assurance measures such as clinical audit programs.

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.

To be fully conversant in dealing with complex midwifery problems such as child protection issues.

Management

To ensure that duty rota for the staff will provide effective and well-balanced cover to meet with the requirements of a 24-hour service and ensure the presence of suitably qualified and experienced midwives at all times. Develop new ways of working if workload requires this.

To liaise with other Band 7s within the Directorate as necessary, to ensure workload and skill mix are effectively managed. Inform and discuss with senior midwife manager/supervisor of midwives any problems highlighted.

Communicate complex and sensitive patient and staff information facilitating good working relationships.

Ensure all resources are used to the optimum.

To ensure all staff are conversant and comply with Trust Policies and regulations and attend mandatory updates as instructed.

To monitor the safe and effective use of all equipment and the economic use of supplies and ordering equipment replacement, together with maintenance of that equipment.

To maintain accurate management records relating to all aspects of ward/department management.

To act as unit coordinator, to be able to make decisions and take the necessary action.

To be responsible for the management of Health & Safety matters, identifying that their work areas comply with all Health & Safety regulations.

To carry out annual Personal Development Reviews of midwives and other staff as required.

To be involved in the process of investigating patient complaints and incident investigations

Education & Training

To be a senior mentor and preceptor to junior midwives and student midwives, working closely with education providers.

To ensure staff reach their full potential by enabling them to develop professional, clinical, managerial, and communication skills, which will be identified through the use of appraisals and effective communication skills.

To plan and participate in the teaching programs of students, working closely with the Universities.

To develop the role of midwifery within the area, providing training and assessment to extend clinical skills, as appropriate to the area.

To identify areas for development of skills in line with the local and national guidance.

Professional

To take all measures to ensure safety and report all accidents/incidents via the Datix web system

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.

To maintain a professional attitude at all times, developing the role of the midwife in the best interest of the patient and profession in accordance with the NMC documents.

To promote a positive attitude for the profession and the Trust within which you are working.

To be aware of personal and professional development. To attend courses and conferences as recommended and approved by the ward manager/supervisor of midwives.

To help in the coordination, development, and implementation of Maternity Services Guidelines

To be conversant and comply with the maternity services guidelines and attend mandatory updates as instructed.

Participate in research projects where appropriate, reporting findings within a multi-disciplinary framework.

Implement research where appropriate.

To be professionally accountable for one's own midwifery practice, acting in a professional manner at all times abiding by the Midwives Rules and Code of Practice and all other relevant NMC and Trust practice protocols and guidelines.

To 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

To participate in the selection, interviewing, and induction of new members of staff. To be involved in manpower requirements in line with identified service developments, making recommendations on improvements in service as appropriate.

To be responsible for the maintenance of day-to-day discipline within the ward/department and to undertake, where necessary, initiation of the disciplinary procedure.

To counsel staff in relation to professional and personal matters.

To make the ward manager/Matrons aware of all hazards/unsafe practices and ensure all accidents/untoward incidents are reported in accordance with trust policy.

To have an identified area of responsibility within the clinical environment.