Job overview The Deputy DOM role is a key position within the Divisional Management Team, responsible to the Director of Midwifery with a prime focus on the day-to-day delivery of high standards of patient care across integrated care pathways and services. Reporting to the Director of Midwifery, the post holder will develop, maintain and provide assurance on clinical and operational governance systems and processes, specifically clinical risk management, CQC standards, clinical policy and procedure, clinical quality, health and safety, patient experience, complaint systems and resolution, incident reporting and resolution, contractual quality measures, safeguarding. Main duties of the job This is a senior leadership role in which the postholder will be responsible for operational direction and provision and management of nursing and midwifery services whilst ensuring the delivery of consistently high standard of care, patient experience and satisfaction. As Deputy Director of Midwifery the postholder will be accountable for the day-to-day delivery of the clinical business of the service and assumes delegated functions of corporate nursing or midwifery development programmes, midwifery and support staff recruitment and retention, measuring and improving standards of care and the patient experience, in accordance with agreed objectives, targets, quality standards, controls and resource constraints. The post-holder will demonstrate a highly visible, authoritative and democratic leadership style, which is underpinned by the values of the Trust. Communications and key relationships Direct line management responsibility for the midwifery and gynaecology matrons Partnerships: Internally Women, people, and their families Director of Midwifery and Gynaecology Chief Nursing Officer Service Divisional Director Service Leads, Clinical Leads, Consultant and resident medical staff Associate Directors of Nursing, Senior Nurses and other nursing staff All clinical and non-clinical staff within the Division Service General Managers Heads of Department Heads of Professions Trust Board, Executive and Management Team Externally All Commissioning bodies NHS England Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership General Practitioners Other Local Trusts/ Providers Educational Bodies (GKT, Florence Nightingale Institute etc) Voluntary Bodies Other Relevant External Agencies NHS Elect Regional Chief Midwife and Deputy Directors and Heads of Midwifery Integrated Care Board The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT) is proud to care for the communities of West Essex, delivering safe, compassionate, and high-quality services. We are part of the Neighbourhood Wavea national programme that s changing how care is delivered by focusing on prevention, early support, and more joined-up services across health, social care, and the voluntary sector. This means we re working more closely with local partners to bring care closer to home and support people to live healthier, more independent lives. We re a supportive and inclusive organisation that values its people. We offer development opportunities, flexible working, and a strong focus on wellbeing. As a Disability Confident and equal opportunities employer, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds and experiences. Join us and help shape the future of care in West Essex. Detailed job description and main responsibilities To work with the divisional Tier 1 and Tier 2 leadership and operational Service Leads to provide professional and clinical leadership support to the division, ensuring that a framework is in place to ensure all midwifery and support staff are appropriately managed and are clinically and professionally developed and that they are, therefore, efficient, effective, engaged and highly motivated. To be responsible for the day to day operational management of the maternity and gynaecology service Lead on nursing/ midwifery workforce and safe staffing analysis and reviews across maternity and gynaecology services To work with other healthcare professionals in the service to ensure effective and professional standards of care management and delivery. Ensuring that a consistent approach is taken across pathways and services in the Division, so that all clinical staff comply with Trust-wide policies and procedures. This post deputises on a regular basis for a full range of operational and leadership responsibilities and is the person who provides deputy cover when the Director of Midwifery (DOM) is on leave or has unplanned absences. To ensure an effective model of support for midwives and nurses are in place by providing strategic and professional leadership for nursing, midwifery and non-medical professionals within the division To participate in the midwifery management on- call rota, and the Trust Silver (Tactical) on-call. Lead on quality, safety and patient experience across the service including full compliance with internal and external governance services The post holder will have an in-depth knowledge of the services, locally and nationally, and the political environment he/she is working. This role provides direct support to the Director of Midwifery. Reporting to the Director of Midwifery, the post holder will develop, maintain and provide assurance on clinical and operational governance systems and processes, specifically clinical; risk management, Care Quality Commission (CQC) standards, clinical policy and procedure, clinical quality, health and safety, patient experience, complaint systems and resolution, incident reporting and resolution, contractual quality measures and safeguarding Lead the nursing / midwifery / clinical teams to ensure a culture of continuous improvement and professional excellence is achieved Support career development, a continued increase of knowledge and skills, and prioritise well-being to make PAHT maternity and gynaecology great places to work. In collaboration with the Director of Midwifery, lead in development of services with the objective of improving the quality of patient care. Disseminate and share best practice at local, regional and national level by conference presentation and through publication Have key relationships with stakeholders including the Maternity and Neonatal Voice Partnership and the Local Learning System Lead on professional leadership to all clinical nurse specialists, matrons, managers and multi-disciplinary team members across the division, ensuring that there is a sharing of good practice across the Trust Be a visible and professional leader of midwives, nurses, and support staff using expert knowledge and skills to further develop and maintain a safe, high quality personalised service for women attending the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust. Leadership The Deputy DOM promotes the vision and values of the nursing and midwifery profession within the division, with a focus on acting as a professional role model. Deputise for the Director of Midwifery on a range of identified committees as required Focusing on the patient experience and clinical quality standards through the collection and use of relevant clinical indicators and high impact intervention audits. Leading on the identification of opportunities to improve staff and patient experience To take responsibility for and ensure equity of service across the service as a whole Support the Director of Midwifery and Service Leads in the development and application of systems, control processes and risk management arrangements that ensure full compliance with internal and external governance procedures and to benchmark against best practice requirements. Support the Director of Midwifery by undertaking root cause and trend analysis of selected complaints and adverse incidents and especially as they relate to nursing or midwifery or other non-medical clinical staff. Undertake large scale detailed reviews of local practice to benchmark against national guidelines which lead to improvements in patient and staff safety Support the Director of Midwifery and Service Leads in ensuring that all other aspects of risk and clinical governance are robustly and effectively managed, especially as they relate to non-medical clinical staff. Support service improvement projects or development programmes that contribute to the modernisation of patient services, providing both professional and clinical advice as necessary. Where appropriate, support the Director of Midwifery to (a) represent the Trust within the NHS and with partner organisations, (b) work closely with them to institute integrated working in the best interest of patient care, (c) ensure appropriate public and patient involvement in assessing service quality and improvements. Identify and take forward the specific contribution midwifery can make to the development of the Service. Provide a strategic nursing / midwifery / clinical input to the design, development, implementation and monitoring of appropriate pathways to ensure the effective delivery of high quality safe clinical care, including improving access, patient experience and outcomes. This will require high level intervention and influencing skills in association with a number of other leaders to determine an agreed pathway in line with the Trust s vision Support the development and implementation of education and training programmes within the Trust, especially for nurses and midwives. In partnership with the Director of Midwifery and the Chief Nursing Officer/ Deputy Chief Nursing Officer lead and implement the Trust s corporate nursing and midwifery priorities and strategy. Lead all non-medical clinical staff to ensure acceptable clinical standards are achieved in all wards /departments. Ensure that patient feedback is acted on effectively and ensure that learning from complaints and incidents is used to improve services. To ensure that all Trust People Resourcing Team, Clinical Risk, Infection Prevention & Control and Health & Safety policies are implemented and adhered to. To line manage and be responsible for ensuring an effective system of performance management, including appraisal and personal development, for all direct reports and their staff, including active succession and workforce planning As a Trust Senior Manager to carry out investigations of staff management issues in other areas of the Trust as requested. To ensure all direct reports are aware of their managerial responsibilities for human resource issues within their areas of responsibility. To work with the Workforce & Organisational Development (OD) professionals in ensuring that robust HR policies and processes are in place in all areas of operational responsibility. Ensure that staff groups within the Division are working to competencies which are regularly assessed and appropriate to the service in line with Agenda for Change. To support on all nursing / midwifery workforce issues across the Division and develop recruitment and retention plans to both drive down costs and improve the quality of patient care and staff experience Delivery of the Trust s Equality and Diversity Strategy in terms of non-medical clinical staff recruitment, retention and development. To ensure all resources are deployed to achieve best outcome with reference to the Trust and Service Business Plans. To lead on transformation of nursing / midwifery/ clinical services to ensure high quality and safe care is delivered in a cost efficient and effective way Act as an authorising signatory for budgets within limits agreed with the Director of Midwifery and be the accountable budget holder for a portfolio of services within the division To achieve financial balance within areas of responsibility ensuring that any cost improvement programmes and cash releasing efficiency schemes are delivered To lead on transformation of nursing and midwifery services to ensure high quality and safe care is delivered in a cost efficient and effective way To direct, lead and motivate the clinical teams to ensure a high standard of professionalism, efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of nursing and midwifery services, ensuring that activity is fully aligned to the business of the Trust. This will include coaching and mentoring, resource planning, standard setting, performance management, team and individual development. The post-holder will be expected to receive, analyse, interpret and respond appropriately to highly complex information on all aspects of the professional nursing and midwifery agenda. The post will have responsibility across the division for the provision of high level, complex and sometimes contentious advice and guidance in all matters related to nursing. Professional Responsibilities To provide clinical leadership, giving advice and support to staff as required and acting as patients advocate at all times. To monitor and evaluate clinical standards within the speciality ensuring that clinical practices are evidence based and benchmarked against best practice locally, regionally and nationally. To ensure that all care programmes are accurately documented and that the standard of record keeping reflects the NMC guidelines for records and record keeping. To challenge traditional boundaries and introduce new ways of working where applicable. Demonstrate an organisational approach to the development of maternity and gynaecology services Ensure safe staffing levels for the maternity service at all times, implementing the Escalation Policy when needed Management To provide a visible, accessible and authoritative presence in the maternity unit to whom patients and their families can turn to for assistance, advice and support To line manage the operational matrons and participate in reviewing, developing and supporting the nursing and midwifery workforce through the appraisal system. To participate in the recruitment, selection and retention of staff Participate in the maternity senior manager on-call availability Provide professional expert midwifery knowledge and leadership to the midwifery team, demonstrating a commitment to midwifery practice Lead and supervise the work of staff and delegate responsibilities as required. Support the Director and Deputy of Midwifery in workforce planning ensuring maternity staffing requirements are in line with national planning tools and the workforce is fit for purpose, and within the gynaecology service. Ensure a strong patient at heart focus and an open culture to escalation, incident reporting and that poor behaviours and practice are challenged and best practice is shared and championed. Participate in the Trust silver on-call rota Midwifery Professional Responsibilities To observe the Code as laid down by the NMC and maintain and develop own professional competence taking responsibility for own CPD requirements. To work and support others to work within the guidelines and policies of the Trust. To ensure high standards of midwifery practice within the maternity service and where it interfaces with gynaecology (early pregnancy) and neonatal services. Research and Service Development To understand new health care related developments ensuring that midwifery practice is evidence based, cost effective and regularly benchmarked against best practice. To understand all national initiatives and assist in the implementation in order to influence patient care and service delivery. To be aware of and support local research projects as applicable. Lead and participate in quality improvement projects Education Responsibilities To participate in the teaching of midwifery and new members of staff to the Trust in conjunction with the team To ensure the Trust maintains a suitable learning environment for all staff and students. To be responsible for identifying and creating clinical leadership capacity and accessing development programmes for self and others. Maintain key relationships with Higher Educational Institutions, and with the wider non-medical education team within the Trust There has never been a more exciting and opportune time to join the maternity and gynaecology team within the Family, Diagnostics and Community (FDC) division at the Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAHT). You will be joining a senior leadership group with an established Director of Midwifery with years of leadership and management experience, and a recently appointed Divisional Director with expansive operational experience and thus complement a dynamic, innovative, and passionate multi-disciplinary team of strategic, operational and clinical leaders. You will collaboratively partner with the senior leadership team to strategically lead women s health in the local WH strategy and the long-term plans of digitally enhanced pathways, community-based care wherever possible, and prevention. If you are kind, motivated, committed to developing and transforming maternity and gynaecological services, and leading the operational vision and future of service provision, whilst enabling the attainment of, and compliance with, agreed local, regional, and national standards, then you are the very person we are seeking. In turn, we will support you to achieve your personal developmental, professional, and service related goals within a nurturing and cohesive environment. Within this role, you will operationally lead the midwifery and nursing teams within your portfolio and influence and deliver change. You will ensure the provision of safe, effective, and evidence-based care for the birthing communities within our catchment areas and that staff and service users are safe, cared for, and listened to. You will provide visible and compassionate leadership consistent with our values of always having the patient at heart, providing everyday excellence and enabling creative collaboration. You will work within FDC and report directly to the Director of Midwifery and Gynaecology. Main duties As the designated Maternity Safety Champion, you will be part of a triumvirate consisting of the General Manager and the Head of Nursing for Babies, Children and Young People providing collective leadership so that PAHT meets internal and external requirements/standards. You will work collaboratively with the Director of Midwifery to: Lead the ongoing development of services to ensure a sustainable service in terms of workforce planning to attain provision of the right staff, and access to care for our service users. Be accountable for the delivery and monitoring of key standards and KPIs from national reports in collaboration with senior women s leadership, the Neonatal Unit Matron, the Neonatal Clinical Lead, & Neonatal Safety Champion Help develop the Equity and Equality Strategy within the Women s Health Strategy Ensure implementation of the local, regional and national initiatives in a timely and responsive manner Ensure compliance to other national drivers, standards, and regulations e.g. Ockenden, Care Quality Commission (CQC) Achieve year on year continuous improvement For further details, please see the accompanying job description For further information, please contact Linda Machakaire, linda.machakaire@nhs.net