Job Description

The post holder will provide expert clinical leadership within the maternity service and designated areas by providing professional leadership and support for midwifery staff.



The focus of this role is to provide exemplary, experienced leadership and support for midwives in clinical practice within and across all intrapartum areas. The post holder will be able to support, advocate and challenge intrapartum practice calmly and sensitively. I t is envisaged that at least 50% of this role will be spent working in the clinical area, which also include the intrapartum settings.



The post holder will be responsible for leading programs of care for women and families requiring advanced clinical assessment and working alongside other midwifery and obstetric colleagues to develop personalised care plans which meet the needs of individual families who may fall outside of current clinical guidance, including providing clinical support and the application of guidance flexibility to meet the needs of the service and families.



The post holder will provide a pivotal role in leading and evaluating the training strategy across the intrapartum areas, ensuring education and development for the maternity workforce.



The Consultant Midwife for Intrapartum care will provide a consultancy service for midwifery internally and externally and involves acting as an ambassador for the Trust's maternity service, representing it as a centre of excellence.



The post will be characterised by the following four principal functions and pillars of

advanced practice:

Expert Midwifery Practice and Service Development Professional Leadership and consultancy function Education and Training Function

Research, audit and evaluation function



Whittington Health serves a richly diverse population and works hard to ensure that all our services are fair and equally accessible to everyone. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the way we look after our staff. We aim to employ a workforce which is as representative as possible of this population, so we are open to the value of differences in age, disability, gender, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, sexual orientation, and religion or belief. The Trust believes that as a public sector organisation we have an obligation to have recruitment, training, promotion and other formal employment policies and procedures that are sensitive to these differences. We think that by doing so, we are better able to treat our patients as well as being a better place to work.



Leadership



Provide expert professional leadership and communicate complex and contentious information in a sensitive and compassionate way across all staff and patient groups.



Participates in clinical aspects of care relating to maternity services and actively involved in monitoring standards of care and feedback from women and families.



Acts as a midwifery advocate and provides consultancy for families seeking care outside clinical guidance.



Acts as an ambassador for midwifery practice and a positive role model for the midwifery service both internally and externally for the Trust.



Demonstrate expert knowledge of contemporary clinical practice align, implemented and evaluate service developments and pathways of care to enhance quality and safety across the maternity continuum.



Lead, develop and evaluate the research strategy within the maternity division.



Work across the regional and national research network.



Expert Midwifery Practice and Service Development



Develops, leads and evaluates specialist pathways for care for women and families requiring complex decision making and support, e.g., Breech, outside of criteria care planning, Birth Options and Birth After Caesarean Section clinics.



Liaises and collaborates with members of the multi-professional team both within the organisation and with external stakeholders.



Leads and supports all professionals in co-ordinating intrapartum episodes and ensures high standards of written and verbal advice and education is available to women, relatives and affiliated disciplines.



Is proactive and central to local, regional and national development of bespoke training programmes for Labour Ward Coordinators.



Actively involves women, relatives and carers in their treatment and encourages / empowers others to enable individuals to assist in their own recovery.



Demonstrate sound knowledge of contemporary clinical practice and introduce changes to practice where necessary and when evidence based.



Lead and facilitate the Fetal Monitoring Team to ensure we maintain a comprehensive teaching and assessment programme.



Lead and work collaboratively with the designated medical and midwifery leads for PROMPT to maximise training, competency assessment and ongoing audit evaluation of clinical outcomes.



Lead, collaboratively with midwifery and medical leads, to implement, review and maintain best practice and training for:



BSOTS in the Labour Ward setting and across Maternity Assessment Unit area.



the Maternity HDU service



Professional Leadership and Consultancy Function



Provide visionary, inspirational leadership and expertise to midwives, championing the physiology of birth and midwifery contribution to and advocacy of this across all birth settings.



Act as a catalyst for positive change, leading and influencing development of relevant policy, practice and staff in the delivery of midwifery led care to women and families.



Work collaboratively with the Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP) and maternity management team to develop practice locally to meet the needs of the local population and support the strategic direction of the service.



Provide expert midwifery advice to the Integrated Clinical Service Unit (ICSU) and Trust Board as and when required or requested.



Act as an ambassador for the Trust representing both internally and externally in matters relating to birth and participating in local, regional, national and international events and conferences.



Act as a midwifery expert in the development, formulation and implementation of new procedures, policies and protocols, and participate in CQC assessments and other external assessments and reviews.



Education and Training Function



Provides internal and external teaching across disciplines to promote the midwifery agenda and enhanced safety through interprofessional expertise and collaboration.



Co-ordinates, teaches and empowers midwives to develop their clinical skills and competencies.



Ensure education programs are evaluated effectively to deliver and reflect the required aims of safe and quality care as those recommended through national enquiry and reports.



Play a key role in professional development through the identification of learning needs across the organisation.