Head of Midwifery

Job summary

The aim of the role is to provide effective, compassionate, and supportive clinical leadership to the maternity service, role modelling professionalism and enabling an environment in which equality, diversity and inclusion is the cornerstone of the approach to enabling a positive culture.

In collaboration with the leadership team, the Head of Midwifery will support the Director of Midwifery with the implementation of the clinical strategy, midwifery workforce modelling, application and management of effective human resource implementations to support the wellbeing and effectiveness of the maternity team.

The Head of Midwifery, General Manager and Divisional Director, will hold responsibility for the daily operational management of the maternity service. The post holder will hold responsibility for the line management, applying a mentoring and coaching style to support the performance of identified members of the midwifery leadership team.

Please note that we can only consider applications from individuals with a live NMC registration or UK nursing students awaiting their PIN, as we are currently unable to support OSCE

Main duties of the job

This is a key role within the maternity service at NWAFT and will offer the post holder the opportunity to continually develop and gain an increasing depth and breadth of experience across the strategic platform

You will actively participate in the delivery of the perinatal clinical strategy alongside the Director of Midwifery, Divisional Director, General Manager, Divisional Nursing Director and Head of Perinatal Clinical Governance and Quality Improvement.

Enable and support the implementation of processes to prioritise an environment where equality, diversity and inclusion for all staff and service users is fundamental to all service decisions.

Through visible leadership, oversee the daily delivery of maternity services, providing professional support, mentorship, and encouragement to the midwifery leadership team, to enable continued growth and development.

In collaboration with the MNVP, co-produce approaches to supporting service users through their maternity journey, where positive experiences of clear, transparent, and sensitive communication are at the core of our interactions.

Support the Director of Midwifery and Divisional Director to develop the workforce plan for maternity services, taking into consideration service developments and local outcome indicators to align services to the needs of service users.

About us

We are dedicated to fostering diversity and inclusivity within our workforce and warmly welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, with a particular emphasis on encouraging those from disabled, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities, as well as candidates from our local area.

As part of our commitment to supporting our employees we offer a range of benefits including:

Generous annual leave entitlement starting at 27 days and increasing to 29 days after five years of service and 33 days after 10 years of service, in addition to the national Bank Holidays (pro-rata for part time staff); Membership of the NHS Pension Scheme: Flexible working opportunities; Enhanced hourly rates for unsociable hours night shifts, weekends, bank holidays; Opportunities for career development and training to help you progress in your role; Wellbeing support and activities to promote a healthy work environment; Access to our in-house physiotherapy service; On-site canteens offering subsidised meals; Subsidised staff parking (currently free); Free Stagecoach Bus Travel to and from work within Cambridgeshire and Peterborough

We strive to create a supportive and inclusive workplace where employees feel valued and empowered to excel in their roles. Join us and become part of a team dedicated to making a positive difference in our community.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Actively participate in the delivery of the perinatal clinical strategy alongside the Director of Midwifery, Divisional Director, General Manager, Divisional Nursing Director and Head of Perinatal Clinical Governance and Quality Improvement.

Contribute to the midwifery profession through proactive involvement in local, regional, and national forums.

Enable and support the implementation of processes to prioritise an environment where equality, diversity and inclusion for all staff and service users is fundamental to all service decisions.

Drive improvements to quality and safety of services ensuring compliance with Trust and National policies, guidelines, and legislation.

Through visible leadership, oversee the daily delivery of maternity services, providing professional support, mentorship, and encouragement to the midwifery leadership team, to enable continued growth and development.

Role model positive leadership behaviours which foster a just culture, in which staff are trusted and have autonomy to be involved in, and initiate quality improvement within service

In collaboration with the MNVP, co-produce approaches to supporting service users through their maternity journey, where positive experiences of clear, transparent, and sensitive communication are at the core of our interactions.

Support the maternity workforce by maintaining a focus on retention and the continued development of staff, actively encouraging staff involvement and feedback on services and their environment.

Support the Director of Midwifery to develop the recruitment and retention plan for maternity services.

Support the Director of Midwifery and Divisional Director to develop the workforce plan for maternity services, taking into consideration service developments and local outcome indicators to align services to the needs of service users.

To work with and support the Director of Midwifery delivering the strategic vision for maternity services.

Contribute to the development of the midwifery profession through proactive involvement in local, regional, and national forums.

Represent the Trust on midwifery and maternity issues as required.

Representing the Director of Midwifery when required

Establish and maintain excellent external relationships essential to the delivery of a safe and high-quality service and influencing public health, health visiting, safeguarding, social care, and mental health service as key partnerships.

Interpret overall health service policy and strategy to establish goals and standards.

Contribute as required in coordinating the Trusts response to department health initiatives to midwifery and maternity services, ensuring local application.

Ensure that all statutory requirements are met, and that all midwifery practice is consistent with the NMC rules and codes of practice.

Provide professional and operational advice and guidance at senior level and expert advice to the Trust board through the Director of Midwifery

Contribute and provide professional advice to specific projects, and lead and manage designated work streams and projects as and when required.

Lead the development and implementation of midwifery and maternity workforce monitoring, through the redesign of services and roles as appropriate, to provide improvements in service delivery.

Is responsible for leading, developing and implementing a range of Trust, national and professional strategies, priorities, statutory regulations, and guidelines within maternity in conjunction with the Director of Midwifery

Develop and maintain proactive engagement with the Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership, ensuring co-production across maternity services.

Person Specification

Education & Qualifications

Essential

Registered Midwife with NMC registration Qualified to Masters level or equivalent A Postgraduate management qualification or substantial relevant experience at senior level Evidence of strong and recent commitment to continuous development

Experience & Knowledge

Essential

Extensive senior clinical and management experience A broad and highly developed understanding of nursing and midwifery policy and its implications for the workforce and future health care delivery Detailed knowledge of NHS practices, policies and procedures and experience of implementing new policies across multiple service areas Demonstrable experience of working successfully across functional boundaries at strategic level Experience of successfully managing many services in a complex organisation; including people and budgetary management Experience of managing disciplinary and capability processes, including regulatory referrals Experience in preparation of information to present to a wide variety of audiences, internal and external to the trust Demonstrable experience of overseeing initiatives; leading successful change management; service redesign processes; leading cost improvement programmes Experience of providing expert clinical leadership in collaboration with multidisciplinary staff across the organisation and external stakeholders An in-depth understanding of the maternity governance framework, including how this is organised to support the progress with the maternity strategy and safe, quality services Can demonstrate the successful implementation of a range of initiatives across multiple services Demonstrated leadership experience at a senior level in maternity Acute awareness and experience of developing an environment where equality, diversity and inclusion is prioritised in considered in all decisions.

Desirable

Experience of working across other NHS organisations, or outside acute services such as region, system, or commissioning, for benchmarking purposes to support baseline service assessments to enable quality improvement Previous experience in a Head of Midwifery role

Skills

Essential

Highly developed analytical and problem-solving skills; capable of interpreting and evaluating complex, multi-faceted information; ability to summarise complex information; ability to make judgements and advice on best course of action Ability to present highly complex/controversial information to a wide range of audiences, with differing levels of understanding, in a suitable format and with appropriate explanation Ability to influence, persuade and motivate others Ability to collaborate constructively with all key stakeholders (internal and external) and to create the conditions for successful partnership working Ability to provide a clear vision for change which is a source of inspiration and motivation for others Ability to monitor and act to improve and deliver clinical and operational performance to maintain safe and quality services, facilitating an environment for staff, to support delivery of organisational priorities Highly skilled in identifying opportunities for partnership working, managing on going stakeholder relationships and providing support to others in this area Highly developed leadership and influencing skills with the ability to enthuse, motivate and involve individuals and teams across the Trust An in depth understanding of maternity workforce and governance framework to identify indicators for ensuring provision of safe maternity services Experience organising and leading maternity clinical strategy A strong commitment to openness, honesty and integrity Ability to demonstrate emotional intelligence and insight of the impact of your leadership style Highly attuned political awareness and perception of the potential outcome for actions and decisions, including how these are communicated Highly developed communication skills to resolve complex, high-impact situations in highly complex environments High level of work organisation, self-motivation, drive for performance and improvement and flexibility in approach

Other

Essential

Committed to continuous service development and quality improvement Able to participate in the Maternity Manager on call rota Awareness and respect for colleagues, service users and relatives cultural, religious, emotional needs and beliefs Able to demonstrate behaviours consistent with the Trusts Values and which support a positive safety culture and working environment

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