Job Description

The Consultant Midwife will function as the expert in midwifery clinical practice leading on midwifery skills and overseeing the quality of clinical professional leadership and education, working in collaboration with the appropriate multi-disciplinary groups to meet the specific needs of maternity care. The role will be to lead, coach and support midwives to realise their full potential as practitioners placing women and their families at the centre of care planning.



The post holder will work in partnership and in collaboration with the Director of Midwifery and Neonates, Head of Midwifery, Safety and Quality Lead, Matrons, Service Managers, Senior Midwives and the Obstetric and Anaesthetic Team to develop a Maternity Service that is responsive to the needs of women, their families and the workforce. The post holder will contribute to the delivery of pre and postgraduate midwifery education providers, be the expert practitioner in midwifery, a role model for midwives and a reference for obstetric colleagues. This will be achieved by the four principle role functions as described by the Department of Health guidelines:



1. Expert Midwifery Practice and Practice Development



2. Professional Leadership and Service Development



3. Education and Training



4. Research, Audit and Development



Expert Midwifery Practice and Practice Development



Professional Leadership and Service Development



Education and Training



Research and Development



The Directorate of Maternity and Women's Services at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is committed to delivering high-quality, patient-centred care for women and their families across Blackpool and Lancashire. As part of the Families and Integrated Community Care Division, we provide integrated maternity, gynaecology, and neonatal services, supported by a dedicated multidisciplinary team.



Our expert workforce includes 11 substantive consultants with specialist interests, alongside speciality trainees, clinical fellows, midwives, nurses, and neonatal specialists. The maternity unit sees approximately 2,500 births annually, offering consultant-led care, a midwifery-led unit, dedicated obstetric theatres, and specialist clinics. Our Level 2 Neonatal Unit provides high-dependency and special care for premature and sick infants.



Gynaecology services span outpatient, day-case, and inpatient care, featuring a dedicated day suite for procedures such as hysteroscopy and colposcopy, an Early Pregnancy Assessment Unit, and advanced surgical techniques, including minimally invasive laparoscopy.



We are committed to education, training, and research, hosting medical students and postgraduate trainees while contributing to national research initiatives. Through clinical governance, innovation, and continuous improvement, we strive to enhance patient safety and outcomes, shaping the future of women's healthcare.



MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES



1.1 Expert Midwifery Practice and Practice Development

The post holder will:

1.1.1 Act as the named lead for midwifery led care within the Trust working in collaboration with the appropriate multi-disciplinary groups to meet the specific needs of pregnant women and their families applying appropriate judgement in range of complex situations as required.



1.1.2 Work for up to 50% of the time in clinical practice providing hands on care, being a highly visible role model for midwives providing professional leadership, professional support, expert advice and direction. Working with the multidisciplinary team to support decision making in the care of women. This will involve leading on birth options clinics and meeting and supporting women to ensure that they are involved and supported in their individual birth plans



1.1.3 Hold four defined clinical sessions per week advocating for midwifery and as a role model supporting midwives in practice and monitoring standards of midwife led care. This includes attending clinical effectiveness, staff governance groups and providing visible leadership in the clinical areas to facilitate and influence learning in the clinical environment



1.1.4 Act as the inspirational leader for midwifery led care, supporting midwives to fulfil their role as lead practitioners in low-risk pregnancy care



1.1.5 Supporting women who may birth outside of clinical guidance or require senior midwifery input to facilitate and support their birth preference, advising and supporting colleagues where standard guidelines do not apply and working in collaboration with Consultant Obstetric colleagues to ensure safe care.



1.1.6 To share knowledge and expertise, acting as an expert resource to others within and outside the organisation



1.1.7 Facilitate learning within the clinical environment and to strive for excellence for students and newly qualified midwives



1.1.8 Be part of the Midwifery Management Team, working closely with the Director for Midwifery and Neonates, Head of Midwifery, Quality and Safety Lead, Matrons, Divisional Manager and Senior Midwives as clinical lead for midwifery led services



1.2 Professional Leadership and Service Development

The post holder will:

1.2.1 Be a visible and credible leader, providing highly specialist expert advice on all aspects of midwifery care. Encouraging staff to contribute to transformation of patient pathways, ensuring a high quality and efficient approach to service delivery.



1.2.2 Provide strategic and operational leadership in the development of services/service redesign to raise the profile of Maternity Services, developing confident and competent midwifery practitioners and contribute in providing continued excellence in clinical practice.



1.2.3 Lead on continuous improvement of service users maternity care experience, working collaboratively with patient experience groups and be responsive to feedback both locally, regionally and nationally.



1.2.4 Using Improvement methodology, lead colleagues in the improvement of standards of quality and develop clinical practice



1.2.5 Communicate effectively with all stakeholders involved in the care of pregnant women and their families



1.2.6 Act as the expert Midwifery Lead in the development of clinical pathways and guidelines for both high and low risk women to put in place service developments



1.2.7 Interpret and evaluate information from all sources to make recommendations on improving practice and be proactive in implementing and facilitating new ways of working to support service developments



1.2.8 Contribute to the evaluation of services or aspects of service against national and local benchmarks and national inquiries, for example Ockenden and any other relevant national maternity recommendations.



1.2.9 Work with the clinical leads for obstetrics to ensure harmonious working relationships between staff groups.



1.2.10 Provide expert midwifery support in review of serious cases and ensure that action plans are adhered to in liaison with the governance team.



1.2.11 Line management/coaching and development support for Specialist Midwives, Practice Development Midwives, Clinical Practice Facilitators within Maternity Services ensuring quality, performance and workforce objectives are achieved.



1.2.12 Demonstrate facilitation skills when working with internal and external stakeholders on improving quality of patient care and services, encouraging, and building on contributions from service users, GPs, and other key stakeholders



1.3 Education and Training

The post holder will:

1.3.1. Create a supportive learning environment for all students and staff promoting a culture where staff proactively encourage feedback from stakeholders, carers, and their families, and listen to the views of staff and other stakeholders using patient experiences, friends, and family tests results and quality data, to ensure that care and compassion is constantly reviewed and improved.



1.3.2 Work with clinical leads to establish the learning needs of staff and introduce interventions to ensure practice is reflective of changing needs of service in conjunction with practice development and higher education institutions



1.3.3 Have a key role in professional development through the identification of learning needs across the organisation, working closely with midwifery, obstetric and neonatal leads, link tutors, practice educators and lecturer practitioners



1.3.4 Contribute to practice development and the education and training of staff by providing expert knowledge and guidance, with the ultimate aim of improving practice and clinical and health outcomes for mothers and babies.



1.3.5 Develop links with higher education institutions contributing to undergraduate and postgraduate programmes of education, and act as a teaching resource in order to ensure that the practice link is robust.



1.3.6 To continue own academic development by undertaking further relevant study



1.4 Research and Development

The post holder will:

1.4.1 Undertake relevant research and assessment of current practice and effectiveness that improves health outcomes and identifies future service developments



1.4.2 Review clinical data, analyse trends and report on any clinical implications.



1.4.3 Contribute to the evaluation of services or aspect of service against national and local KPI's. and performance metrics



1.4.4 As clinical expert, contribute to and influence the clinical governance agenda in order to improve the quality of care for women and their families.