Job overview
* Demonstrate leadership by example.
* Managerial responsible for Band 6 Midwives
* Ensure that individual performance review and personal development plans are completed for each staff member and follow HR polices.
* Responsible for the management of staffing rotas on the Midwifery led unit. They will ensure effective skill-mix and appropriate caseload management at all times. They will ensure that the lead midwife reviews the rotas and rota management follows the trust processes. To effectively manage annual leave by understanding the Trust leave policy.
* Promote/ develop and maintain a culture within clinical environment which challenges and questions practice, and promote the quality of thinking amongst practitioners.
* Demonstrate specialist expertise and professional knowledge. Works as a role model for professional practice and understands the impact of poor performance.
* Champion Infection control to support surveillance,
* Monitor midwifery performance and clinical outcomes to improve and develop high standards of patient care. including risk management incident reporting, complaints, research and effectiveness monitoring and clinical audit.
* Maintain standards of conduct to sustain public confidence in accordance with the NMC Code of Professional Conduct, Midwives Rules, and Midwives Code of Practice and Trust policies.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will have overall responsibility for the operational management of clinical service delivery at ward level for Midwifery Led Unit
To have continuing responsibility for the effective and efficient operational management of the service within allocated resources.
To provide effective leadership, clinical expertise, knowledge, advice, and positive role modelling, to innovate, develop, facilitate and supervise excellent standards of safe, individualised, holistic care that is evidence based, in consultation and partnership with the Multi-disciplinary Team (MDT).
To be accountable for the quality, delivery and monitoring of robust, infection control measures, midwifery standards and quality and women’s experience indicators within all areas of the
service
The post holder will provide excellent leadership and support for the Midwifery Led Unit and wider maternity services out of hours, acting as a lead role model to ensure the provision of excellent women centered evidence based, quality care.
The post holder will promote high standards of professional practice and the delivery of quality care within the Trust Policies, Protocols and Guidelines.
The post holder will be a highly skilled clinical expert with specialized knowledge in caring for women during pregnancy and postnatally.
The post holder will work with the matron for the Midwifery Led Unit to further develop the service.
Working for our organisation
At East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust, we are proud of the range of general and specialist services we provide and our 6,000 or so dedicated staff ensure our patients get the best care. Our ability to be flexible and innovative in the way in which we work and deliver our services to our catchment has never been more important than it is now.
We run the following hospitals:
* The Lister Hospital, Stevenage
* New Queen Elizabeth II (New QEII), Welwyn Garden City
* Hertford County, Hertford
* Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC), Northwood
We have ambitious plans to become an outstanding, patient-led Trust where dedicated staff provide high-quality, compassionate care to our patients. We continue to undergo significant transformation and our staff and patients are at the heart of delivering this ambitious agenda.
We are committed to a positive work life balance for our employees. This means that any employee is entitled to seek to work flexible working patterns and we are committed to listen and consider all requests. Such requests, of course, have to be made and considered formally, and will need to be balanced against service needs, but our starting point will always be to find ways to support making them happen.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Responsible for organizing and deploying directorate staff flexibly, to meet acuity with in the service where the work pattern is often unpredictable.
Deputies as required for members of the senior management team.
To lead and have continuing responsibility for managing a complex care for all women and babies in partnership with the MDT, ensuring that the highest standards of care are delivered, to provide and promote an optimal outcome and favorable experience, with often
challenging prioritisation.
To be a highly competent, knowledgeable practitioner with a high visible presence in the Midwifery Led Unit.
To act as a role model and resource for all members of the MDT, ensuring delivery of excellent evidence-based care in accordance with local and national standards, policies and
guidelines.
To promote and ensure that due regard and respect are given to the customs, values and spiritual beliefs of women and their families, by all members of the MDT.
To develop and monitor the environment the service is provided in, ensuring that it is clean, safe and welcoming and reflects the physical, psychosocial and developmental needs of women and babies and complies with National standards as far as is possible.
To ensure that all staff are courteous and helpful to all women and visitors at every point of contact.
To ensure that all women and babies are safeguarded and that their interests are protected at all times, demonstrating advanced knowledge and awareness of legislation and procedures governing these processes.
To ensure that tools that promote safe effective care are fully utilise and acted upon through continual supervision and evaluation of care provision.
To act as an advocate and empower all women by ensuring the provision of appropriate verbal and written information and access to support services.
To promote health education within the department, acting as an expert resource to others.
Provide expert knowledge and advanced skills within the clinical area, identifying, initiating and developing the skills of the team to enhance care pathways and improve women’s experience.
Develop collaborative networks with other health care professionals, forging good working relationships, to ensure that excellent standards of safe, effective, efficient, health care are delivered.
Maintain Registration and adherence to the NMC Code and Trust policies and guidelines.
To participate in midwifery audit and be responsible for the monitoring of quality indicators, and implementation of necessary changes in practice to ensure continual enhancement in the quality-of-service provision.
To direct and promote clinical governance procedures as per Trust policy, reporting and managing all verbal and written complaints and adverse incidents, resolving where able, whilst ensuring that every complaint and incident is fully investigated, and action plans are developed to facilitate changes in practice to negate recurrence of incidents and
complaints.
Ensure and maintain own high level of knowledge and the compliance of others in infection control policies, standards and procedures, including hand hygiene and care bundles.
Ensure own competence and the competency of all team members, through education and training in the correct use of all equipment used in the clinical setting.
Participate in developing departmental guidelines in line with national and regional guidelines.
Ensure that all equipment is maintained in good working order, that faults are reported in a timely manner and that equipment is replaced if unsuitable for purpose.
Participate in Manager on Call Rota, as Manager of the Day (MOD), escalate concerns as appropriate.
Leadership and Management
Take responsibility and leadership for care of all women/babies, within the department on a continuous basis, supervising, supporting and empowering all staff in this process, ascertaining holistic, safe, effective care of an excellent quality at all times.
Have a detailed knowledge and support and facilitate mandatory attendance and updates.
Maintain own knowledge and ensure teams compliance with relevant nursing and midwifery, Directorate and Trust Procedures, Policies and Protocols.
Continuously role model and hold staff to account in upholding the core values and beliefs of the Trust.
To be responsible and accountable for the optimum use of resources and establishing and maintaining effective management processes to ensure financial control/balance within the ward/departmental budget.
Ensure barriers to achieving quality and safety are escalated to the Matron/DOM at the earliest opportunity.
Support the CLU ward manager in ensuring departmental representation at relevant monthly Trust and Divisional meetings including Finance and HR by attending as requested by the Matron.
Develop and maintain organisational, managerial and coaching skills relevant to the department, Trust and personal development.
Monitor, ensure and maintain the continuing safety of the environment and department by undertaking regular environmental audits and risk assessments, as per Trust policy.
Participate and contribute to the formulation of policies and strategies within the unit/directorate. Be fully conversant with Trust and Directorate policies, protocols and guidelines, ensuring that all information is current and readily available, and that staff
demonstrate adherence at all times.
Participate and lead in the process of recruitment, selection and orientation of staff, fostering an environment that is conducive to workforce retention.
Support the matron in her role, deputising in her absence as requested.
To provide specialist, expert advice and supervision to all clinical areas within women’s Services, as and when required
Work collaboratively with key stake holders in the development of any ward/service redesign
Demonstrate highly effective interactions and communication with women, family, colleagues and the MDT at all times, acting as a role model.
Promote and implement communication systems, both within Women’s Services, throughout the Trust and with external users, actively promoting Maternity Services.
To recognise and value the contributions that the women, family, colleagues and the MDT make, respecting equality and diversity at all times. Ensure that this attitude is endorsed by all other members of the team.
Ensure through supervision and audit that all written documentation is completed, accurate and justifiable and adheres to Trust and NMC documentation standards, for all women/babies, supervising and monitoring this process in all staff.
Facilitate and ensure effective communication channels within the midwifery and MDT teams, accessing and communicating information using all available sources.
Ensure adequate verbal and written information is given to parents to facilitate an understanding of their condition and care. Supervise the formulation of written information sheets, to support this process.
Create an environment in which staff feel valued and respected.
Education and Professional Development
Education and Professional Development
Support the delivery of orientation programmes for midwifery and nursing, medical staff and students, facilitating and ensuring staffs attendance at Trust induction.
Ensure that the clinical environment is conducive to creating a culture which values learning and development, ensuring all staff have the opportunity to extend their scope of practice.
Work collaboratively with the Practice Facilitator and Practice Development Midwife and other members of the Senior Midwifery team in developing the knowledge base and clinical skills of staff, through teaching, supervision and assessment of competency, as identified by Directorate, Trust and National action plans.
Maintain and promote a high awareness of current national and local developments and the impact that these will have on practice, disseminating this information through various communication channels, including regular staff meetings.
Provide, deliver and monitor an annual appraisal system for all staff, ensuring that each member of the team has identified objectives and a personal development plan.
Maintain own continuing education and professional development in line with requirements of this post, in accordance with CPD requirements, contributing to formulation of own objectives and personal development plan through reflective practice and yearly appraisal.
To pro-actively manage matters relating to lack of capability and poor performance in line with Trust Policy.
To be responsible for own professional competency and meeting the requirements of the NMC Code - Validation and Registration Research, Audit, Clinical Governance and Quality Research, Audit, Clinical Governance and Quality
Promote clinical excellence by leading and supervising the setting, maintaining and monitoring of standards of care within the Clinical Governance Framework.
Ensure an up-to-date knowledge of current evidence-based practice, sharing this knowledge with others. Promote and implement research findings in collaboration with the MDT, participating in the writing of policies and guidelines to facilitate this process, endorsing quality of service and effective practice.
Report all clinical and non-clinical incidents promptly, undertaking and cooperating with any further investigations, as required.
Ensure that documentary evidence to support compliance with audit, clinical governance and quality is readily available, accurate, legible and contemporaneous.
Contribute to reports and drive and imbed any subsequent action plans as required with the support of the ward manager and Senior Management team.
Person specification
Qualifications / Training
Essential criteria
* RM, currently registered to practice.
* Evidence of post Dynamic registration, relevant to the role
* Recognised teaching and assessing qualification
Desirable criteria
* ALSO (advanced Life Support Obstetrics)
* Newborn Life Support (NLS)
* Management qualification / leadership course
* Degree / Masters
* Appraisal training
Previous Experience
Essential criteria
* Recent experience encompassing a wide range of Midwifery Practice
* Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
* Negotiating skills and ability to build collaborative relationships.
* Ability to work across professional and organisational boundaries.
* Excellent leadership and management skills
* Evidence in practical application of Trust and national standards
Desirable criteria
* Previous Management experience
* Budget and resource management
Skills
Essential criteria
* Ability to function as a member of a multidisciplinary team, promote high standard of clinical practice, act as a role model.
* Ability to communicate effectively with staff and women and their families at all levels in a sensitive manner
* A high standard of written and verbal communication skills
* Good Management, leadership and organisational skills
* Ability to respond to stressful situations positively and ensure that deadlines are met.
* Teaching skills
* Working knowledge of Incident reporting
* Ability to work under pressure.
* Computer literate
* Participation in Audit
Desirable criteria
* Counselling skills
* Participation in guideline development
Knowledge
Essential criteria
* Sound theoretical and practical knowledge of the role of the Midwife
* Up to date knowledge of Safeguarding children’s practices
* Up to date knowledge of Hand Hygiene and care bundles
* Up to date knowledge of Health and safety awareness
* Up to date knowledge of Clinical Governance and quality assurance issues
* Up to date knowledge of Risk Management, equality and diversity
Other requirements
Essential criteria
* Exemplary personal standards of conduct and behavior
* Positive and caring approach
* Ability to enthuse and motivate self and others.
* Effective time management
* Evidence of self-awareness and reflective practice
* Commitment to equal opportunities
* Willingness to adapt to a changing environment.
* Commitment to individualised care
* Willingness to work flexibly
* Good general health
* Experience of Managing HR Concerns