Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced and motivated Midwife to join maternity services as a Prevention Lead Midwife. This strategic leadership role focuses on improving public health outcomes for women, birthing people, babies and families across East Lancashire and Blackburn with Darwen.
The successful post holder will lead on the development, implementation and monitoring of healthy lifestyle initiatives and prevention strategies within maternity services, supporting the wider public health agenda and reducing health inequalities. Key focuses include smoking cessation in pregnancy, immunisations and vaccinations, and improving outcomes for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.
Working closely with multidisciplinary teams, partner organisations and local stakeholders, the Prevention Lead Midwife will provide specialist leadership, promote evidence-based practice and support the ongoing development of safe, equitable and accessible maternity services.
Main duties of the job
At East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust our vision is to be widely recognised for providing safe, personal and effective care. We currently provide high quality services and treat over 600,000 people across East Lancashire and the surrounding area. We employ over 9,500 staff, many of whom are internationally renowned and have won awards for their work. Within East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, we are a forward thinking Maternity service managing over 6 000 births per year with three different birth locations and the provision of services across the East Lancashire footprint.
We are excited to offer an opportunity for an experienced and motivated midwife to join our team as a Prevention Lead Midwife (Band 7) within Maternity services. This is a key leadership role focused on driving the public health and prevention agenda across maternity services, with an emphasis on improving outcomes for women and families, particularly those from areas of greatest need. The post holder will lead on the development, implementation and evaluation of initiatives that promote healthy lifestyles during pregnancy and the postnatal period, in line with local and national priorities.
The successful candidate will act as a specialist resource for the multidisciplinary team, providing expert advice, clinical leadership and education in areas including smoking cessation in pregnancy, reducing health inequalities, and supporting vulnerable groups. You will work collaboratively with internal teams and external partners to deliver innovative, evidence-based care, contributing to the wider ambition of reducing morbidity and mortality and improving equity of access and experience for all women and families.
Working for our organisation
East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust is committed to providing safe, personal and effective care to the communities we serve. We are proud of our supportive and inclusive working environment and our commitment to improving outcomes for women, babies and families across our local population.
As part of the Family Community Care Group, you will work alongside dedicated multidisciplinary teams who are passionate about delivering high-quality maternity care and reducing health inequalities. We actively encourage innovation, professional development and collaborative working to support both staff wellbeing and continuous service improvement.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
* Lead and develop prevention and public health initiatives within maternity services.
* Provide specialist leadership and advice on healthy lifestyles, smoking cessation, vaccination uptake and reducing health inequalities.
* Support the implementation of national and local maternity and public health priorities, including the NHS Long Term Plan and Saving Babies’ Lives agenda.
* Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams, external agencies and local stakeholders to improve outcomes for women and families.
* Lead the maternity stop smoking service and oversee the public health midwifery support worker team.
* Promote equitable access to maternity services, particularly for vulnerable and high-risk groups.
* Monitor service performance through audit, quality improvement and data analysis to support ongoing service development.
* Contribute to staff education, training and development in relation to public health and prevention.
* Act as a professional role model, promoting compassionate, safe and effective care in line with Trust values.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
* Registered Midwife, having had experience at a band 6 or above
* Post graduate education or the equivalent experience to this level
* Evidence of ongoing professional development
Desirable criteria
* Evidence of specialist knowledge and training pertinent to the role
Experience
Essential criteria
* Demonstrates skills in Midwifery leadership
* Experience of developing services as part of a multi disciplinary team
* Experience of working in a multi agency setting
* Experience of managing change
* Ability to work on own initiative and prioritise workload
* Evidence of excellent interpersonal skills
Desirable criteria
* Experience of working with women in high risk pregnancy
* Experience of promoting and developing healthy lifestyles
* Evidence of knowledge around the priority areas of the public health agenda
* Evidence of implementation of innovation, service change and development
* Evidence of implementation, innovation, service change and development
* Experience of public speaking
* Experience of quality improvement methodology
Knowledge and skills
Essential criteria
* Commitment to the role of Prevention Lead Midwife
* Knowledge of the National Public Health Agenda and the priority areas pertinent to maternity
* Ability to provide comprehensive information around maintaining healthy lifestyles
* Working knowledge and experience of safeguarding children and adults
* Gathering, analysing, interpreting complex information and ability to present, verbally and in written formats to a varied audience
* Ability to lead, influence and motivate others
* Ability to manage conflict constructively
* Ability to lead and motivate a team
* Understanding the distinctive contribution of other agencies
* Effective management of resources
* Organisation skills, including ability to prioritise workload
* An understanding of IT systems
* Understanding of the local area and issues
Desirable criteria
* Presentation and teaching skills and experience
* Experience in guideline development and implementation
* Experience of conducting and reporting audit. Ability to write, articulate, analyse and present data, results and reports
Personal attributes
Essential criteria
* Interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively with multidisciplinary agencies
* Positive attitude to change and inspires confidence
* Acts as a role model incorporating Trust values
* Highly motivated and able to motivate others
* Able to work effectively within a multi disciplinary setting
* Able to motivate others through change and negotiate new ways of working across organisation boundaries
Other
Essential criteria
* Ability to travel for cross site working