Maternity Support Worker

The primary role of the Maternity Support Worker (MSW) is to assist, support and work in collaboration with the midwife and the wider multidisciplinary team; in order to provide a safe and holistic approach to women centred care.
The midwife is ultimately responsible for the care of the mother and her new-born(s), and it is under the direct or indirect supervision of the midwife that the MSW assists with and provides care following completion of any relevant or appropriate training. The employee will be provided with appropriate training for the clinical setting in which they are working. These settings include antenatal inpatient or outpatient care, intrapartum inpatient care and postnatal inpatient and outpatient care
The post holder is expected to undertake a set of defined competencies; including the ‘care certificate’. This certificate ensures the minimum standards for the role are met, and can further be incorporated into a ‘skills passport. Support will be given to employees to further develop their skills and explore pathways for progression where appropriate.
This job description may be particularly relevant to employees currently working at Band 2/3 who are looking to progress and prepare for entry into a programme of further study or development.
The post holder is expected to undertake a set of defined competencies; including the ‘care certificate’. This certificate ensures the minimum standards for the role are met, and can further be incorporated into a ‘skills passport. Support will be given to employees to further develop their skills and explore pathways for progression where appropriate.
Proud of our workforce
- Our 7,500 staff are recruited from local communities and around the world
- Our staff rate us second among acute trusts in London as a place to work
- Despite challenges in the NHS, our low staff vacancy rate remains significantly better than the national average
- We are passionate about the health and wellbeing of our staff with a huge support offer, including our nationally-recognised free back-up care scheme and Timewise accreditation as a flexible employer
- We love to develop our people, offering a range of development programmes and apprenticeships, with our healthcare support worker apprentices winning Apprentice of the Year for two years running
- We offer a fantastic range of salary sacrifice schemes, from season ticket loans, bicycles and vehicles, to gym memberships, home electronics and holidays

Non-clinical
Assist with the admission, orientation and discharge of women and their babies in accordance with local policy and guidance.
Ensure that all clinical documentation is accurately, collected, updated, stored and filed in accordance with local information governance and record keeping policy and guidance.
Work closely with administrative staff in order to provide additional support to this service as required.
Participate in tracking, obtaining and filing clinical records as required, under instruction and in line with local policy and guidance.
Provide administrative support to the maternity team, both in the hospital and community settings.
Manage own time effectively whilst prioritising care needs for women and their babies under care under the direction of the midwife.
Act reliably; relaying messages to the appropriate person in an effective and timely manner, whilst maintaining women’s confidentiality.
C onvey an approachable and professional attitude to all mothers and their families.
Communicate effectively with women and their families in all settings, with particular attention to providing updates on any delays or changes to their care.
Ensure that knowledge of local safeguarding policy and procedure is maintained.
Clinical
Responsibly receive details of daily duties from the midwife, and use own discretion when prioritising care, under direction and supervision.
Undertake routine observations (and escalate any deviation from the normal range) to the named midwife or appropriate member of the multi-professional team.
Support women during clinical procedures, including attending to any personal hygiene needs as necessary.
Assist /act as a runner in obstetric theatres.
Provide support to labouring women if asked to do so, and under the supervision of the midwife.
Supporting women in their choice of infant feeding, and have awareness of the options available.
Provide evidence based support, assistance and advice to women who are breastfeeding, or are planning to breastfeed.
Support and assist women with artificial feeding in line with local and national policy and guidance.
Please see attached job description and person specification to this advert for further details.