Job Description

The Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) is a 13-bed acute female ward, providing evidence-based mental health treatment for both pregnant women and women with babies under one year old.



Our service is for women who present with an acute or relapsing mental illness e.g. schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, affective disorders. Additionally, and unique to the perinatal specialism, is the presentation of postpartum psychosis which is considered a psychiatric emergency.



Our treatment programmes are designed collaboratively with the service user, their families and the extensive MDT to which the nurse provides a unique voice. Our aim in promoting recovery is twofold: a) for women to develop confidence in their vital role as mothers and to have a lasting return to their community and b) for babies to grow up to be physically healthy, emotionally capable and securely attached so that they can lead happy lives.



We do not expect you to come to us as experts in this specialist field. However, you can expect us to train you to become expert over time. As an example, within your two-week induction, you will be given access to 'A brief introduction to perinatal mental health' which is a 5-hour online self-study. Additionally we train all our nursery nurses in baby massage/baby yoga/breast feeding .



As part of a rich multi-disciplinary team, you will be responsible for providing nursery nursing interventions and support to mothers with acute perinatal mental health needs and their babies. This will include mothers in the antenatal and postnatal period within the MBU setting.



The post holder is required to have a robust working knowledge of childcare and child development which is used to inform care plans and interventions. The candidate will have an up to date awareness of recent research and guidance regarding child development and attachment theory.



You will work alongside professionals offering therapeutic input with the mother and baby relationship as a focus of your work. You will also have an opportunity to liaise with other professionals agencies as part of your role.



We are committed to the development of the people that come to work with us. We will invest in you and support you to maximise your potential. As part of your ongoing development, you will receive regular supervision and training to enable you to flourish within the service.

About the location:

You will be based at Bethlem Royal Hospital, Monks Orchard Road, Beckenham, Kent, BR3 3BX.

Benefits :

We are committed to ensuring our staff get the most out of their benefits package and understand the importance of a healthy work life balance. There is an extensive range of excellent benefits for you and your family. We want you to feel like you are part of a close knit team at SLaM. It's important to us that you valued and appreciated and that are why we have a comprehensive benefits package on offer



Generous pay, pensions and leave, we offer a comprehensive pay, pensions and leave package which is dependent on the role and length of service.



Work life balance, flexible working and support a range of flexible options, such as: part-time working and job sharing.



Career development, There are plenty of opportunities to progress your career and we support your development through a number of programmes.



Car lease, our staff benefits from competitive deals to lease cars



Accommodation, our staff benefits from keyworker housing available which is available on selected sites



NHS discounts, with discounts up to 10% from a variety of well-known retail brands though Health Service Discounts website.

Other benefits include:

Counselling services



Wellbeing events



Long service awards



Cycle to work scheme



Season ticket loan



Childcare vouchers



Staff restaurants

.Key Responsibilities:

1)To work as a member of the MBU delivering interventions which meet the needs of the baby for those mothers who are receiving inpatient care. The nursery nurse will also promote and support the health of the mother and baby.



2) To support the mother and the rest of the MDT in order to ensure that consistent and appropriate emotional and practical care of the baby is being given at all times.



3)The nursery nurse will also monitor, document and report the developmental progress of the babies on the unit; will work in partnership with the family and the wider community nursing teams e.g.Midwives, Health Visitors, Community Nurses and Community Nursery Nurses.



4) To ensure regular monitoring of physical health and developmental milestones of the babies are undertaken and reported back to the link health visitors as required.



5) To ensure that a Mother's involvement in the care of her baby is fully promoted and that the mothers are consulted regarding all care given to their baby



6) To organise and facilitate mother and baby groups with the aim of sharing and educating in all areas of baby care and play.



7) To provide written and verbal reports to the multi-disciplinary team relating to



mothers care of and behaviour with her baby and any observed changes in the physical health of babies reporting any concerns immediately to the nurse in charge.



8) To communicate sensitive information to patients and/or relatives/carers concerning appropriate physical and/or psychological care and interactions with their baby.



9) To access regular supervision and appraisal and contribute to the well-being of the team by supporting other team members and treating all colleagues with respect.



10) To undertake Promotion of Safe and Therapeutic Services interventions as required in line with Trust policy.



11) To undertake any other appropriate duties as may be assigned or delegated on occasions by the Nurse in Charge.