Infant Feeding Advisor

Infant Feeding Advisor Location: Northampton, England, United Kingdom Employer: Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust Do you aspire to deliver the best possible maternity care every time? That is the approach to Maternity Services at Northampton General Hospital. We have been a fully accredited Baby Friendly Hospital since 2016. A rare and exciting opportunity has arisen for a skilled, self‑motivated, experienced band 6 midwife to work as a member of the maternity team as an Infant Feeding Midwife. Overview As the Infant Feeding Advisor, you will promote Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) care standards by teaching, supporting and mentoring staff to give the best possible care to babies and their parents. You will support the work of the Infant Feeding Lead to ensure that the BFI standards continue to be implemented across the service, preparing for any future accreditation visits and for our ambitions of achieving BFI Gold accreditation. Key Responsibilities Support new staff and midwifery students to develop their clinical skills in infant feeding using an evidence‑based approach in line with BFI care standards Run training sessions for maternity staff and the multi‑disciplinary team Carry out practical skills reviews in infant feeding Work with staff individually and in groups to build their skills to provide a high level of care in infant feeding Participate in the provision of breastfeeding workshops for expectant parents Support staff to develop care plans with complex clinical cases Carry out regular audits to monitor compliance with BFI standards of care and report the findings Use audit results and current evidence to help shape training for staff and resources for parents Assist in the writing and implementation of guidelines and initiatives relevant to infant feeding Support parents in the infant feeding clinic with more complex situations Deputise in meetings at local and regional level as required Effectively manage own time to ensure a balance between audit, clinical and administrative duties Promote and maintain a departmental culture that encourages open and honest professional decision‑making and problem‑solving Promote and maintain organisational and professional standards Actively participate in infant feeding meetings within maternity services Demonstrate and promote excellent interpersonal, written, verbal and non‑verbal communication styles Influence and nurture positive attitudes and behaviours within teams and the wider multi‑disciplinary team Undertake relevant clinical practices in accordance with the Scope of Professional Practice Act as a source of expert clinical and professional advice on infant feeding Undertake clinical audit within the area of speciality Work with the Infant Feeding Lead to implement initiatives to improve breastfeeding initiation and maintenance rates by supporting midwives, assistant practitioners and maternity support workers in the clinical area Provide support and act as a resource to staff assisting new mothers on postnatal wards with infant feeding ensuring compliance with the DoH and Baby Friendly Initiative Participate in the development of relevant care pathways and guidelines within the maternity service Take all possible action to minimise clinical risk to women and their babies, utilising all available resources Qualities and Experience We need someone who is motivated, flexible, positive about breastfeeding and who is keen to further develop their knowledge and skills in infant feeding and the BFI process. Equality, Diversity & Inclusion The Hospital Group encourages applications from people who identify from all protected groups. We understand we need to work with colleagues from diverse backgrounds and ensure the environment they work in is inclusive and collaborative. We recognise the valuable contribution that the Armed Forces community makes to our organisation. We have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and achieved a Silver Award under the Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme. #J-18808-Ljbffr