Vulnerable Womens Midwife

Job responsibilities

The post holder will work toward raising awareness of the needs of pregnant vulnerable women in Kirklees/Wakefield and will support Midwives to care for vulnerable pregnant women. Give advice, support and ensure access to relevant services to meet individual complex care needs. The practitioner will work in a trauma informed way and take a family centred approach to ensure clear health and wellbeing planning.

Review referrals made to the specialism and use assessment of support tool to plan appropriate care and referrals to support womens mental health and complex social needs including, learning disabilities, substance misuse, previous trauma and abuse, isolation, safeguarding, multiple complex needs.

The Complex needs practitioner will act as a role model, leader and resource to maternity services staff as well as the wider service. They will provide training and online staff support sessions as well as patient education programmes.

The post holder will ensure effective communication with other health professionals. This role will operate within the clinical governance framework of the organisation and will work in a collaborative approach with the multidisciplinary group in the interests of ensuring appropriate levels of Safeguarding for the woman and her child. Work within the trusts guidelines and policies for mental health, complex needs, tokophobia, trauma care and safeguarding.

Key Responsibilities

• The Complex Needs Practitioner will create, lead and maintain a service and culture which is open to change, new ideas, concepts and innovation, whilst influencing Trust strategy and direction
• Support care planning with staff members with caseloads containing women with complex social and mental health needs.
• Work closely with the secondary and voluntary services across the district to support pregnant vulnerable women to make healthy choices, to reduce risk taking behaviours and access the support they need for a healthy pregnancy and postpartum period.
• To work closely with Social Care colleagues, multi-disciplinary health colleagues and MYHT Safeguarding team, to review and implement an appropriate care pathway to facilitate sensitive and standardised care to vulnerable women.
• Provide advice and guidance to support existing midwifery services in Kirklees/Wakefield.
• To provide training and one to one sessions to increase awareness and facilitate skill development of midwives who work with vulnerable women and their families.
• To ensure that midwives are aware of the referral system for vulnerable women in need of support; to support midwives to give all vulnerable women appropriate information regarding the services available to them; encourage midwives to work in partnership with other agencies.
• To escalate any concerns about workload to Line manager.
• To keep statistical data as required.
• Ensure participation and consultation with all stakeholders which may include GPs, health visitors, voluntary agencies.
• To be able to represent the Maternity Services in matters relating to vulnerable women.
• Act as a resource to other midwives/health professionals in relation to provision of supportive and appropriate care for vulnerable women.
• Maintain an up to date knowledge of all relevant research and evidence to inform and advise on specific areas of vulnerability.
• To contribute to research activities both within the hospital and community settings and be actively involved in audit and risk management in accordance with the clinical governance framework.
• To undertake annual mandatory training updates and other relevant courses in line with trust and local policies.
• To ensure participation in appropriate channels of support for professional practice, including commitment to monthly meetings with Safeguarding team and direct line manager.
• To contribute to clinical governance within the Directorate.
• To contribute to the development of a learning environment and lead practice and educational development related to their specialist knowledge.
• To audit, evaluate and review the quality of own practice and others, where necessary, to make the appropriate improvements. To lead in setting and maintaining optimal standards of care within their specialist area of practice and to keep up to date and act consistently with quality standards and guidelines within their own clinical area and associated areas.
• To initiate Directorate child protection procedures whilst utilising the appropriate documentation in all cases where concerns are present.
• Required to act independently and use own initiative as an autonomous practitioner whilst working and travelling alone in the community.
• To foster a non-judgemental culture within maternity services through training and support to colleagues.
• Contribute to ongoing evaluation of the role and service with a year-end report.

Safeguarding

• Be well versed in safeguarding procedures and maintain knowledge at Safeguarding Children level 3 and Safeguarding adults
• Be able and prepared to initiate and lead the early intervention process when indicated to help meet the needs of the vulnerable women or their unborn child, recognising they have individual needs.
• Maintain skills in recognising domestic abuse and be fluent in management of these cases.
• Be skilled at recognising safeguarding concerns and making referrals to the appropriate agencies ie police and social care
• Understand the role of the father in all cases and assess this role and contribution on an ongoing basis escalating any concerns to the appropriate service.
• Refer all cases where concerns have been identified. Referrals must be followed up and escalated as necessary through the appropriate pathways.
• Work cooperatively with other agencies in meeting the needs of families and to safeguard children.
• Be knowledgeable of other agencies (including 3rd sector) and their contribution to safeguarding women and children (eg Safe@home, Turning point, Barnardos, NSPCC, Rebound)
• Be skilled at exploring sensitive issues with vulnerable women such as drug and alcohol use, historical sexual abuse, past offending, educational/learning difficulties, relationship problems, exploitation)

Quality/ Clinical Governance

• The Vulnerable Womens Midwife will be responsible for improving the experience of this group of women and safe guarding high standards of care by creating an environment in which excellence in clinical care can flourish and be measured.
• Overtly valuing women centred care, and promoting normality.
• Fostering a culture which recognises and works in partnership with vulnerable women and their families involving them in all decisions.
• Working and co-ordinating in a collaborative manner with other health care professionals and other relevant agencies.
• Having proactive involvement in the public involvement agenda leading to service improvement.
• Respecting and promoting dignity, choice and autonomy of vulnerable women and their families
• Exercising clinical judgement, often with complex facts and articulating why clinical decisions were made.
• Ensuring adequate and accurate patient documentation and records are maintained
• Complying with the Trusts Information Governance Policy.
• Using complaints positively and proactively to review and improve the quality of services.
• Ensuring relevant incidents are thoroughly investigated, appropriately actioned, feedback given and learning from these incidents transferred into practice.
• Identifying gaps in own knowledge and prioritising areas for action.
• Maintaining a culture that continually updates practice by implementing valid research findings and facilitating appropriate research activity
• Devising, updating and implementing protocols, guidelines and policies appropriate to the speciality which are evidence based.
• Interpreting and evaluating information from diverse sources to enable informed decisions, to set standards for quality and appropriate care.
• Participating and ensuring that the Trusts Midwifery Charter standards are met.
• Participating in the Trusts accreditation process.

Personal Attributes

Essential

• Effective interpersonal skills.
• Ability to deal with difficult situations.
• Optimistic.
• Energetic.
• Creative.
• Flexible
• Visionary.
• Women focused approach to care and services.
• Excellent organisational skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Displays professional integrity and credibilityAbility to network within the Trust and externally.

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Professional (Midwife / Health Visitor / Mental Health Nurse)
• Evidence of ongoing professional development.
• Experience in all areas.
• Evidence of competency in teaching and assessing
• Evidence of further study within speciality
• Relevant Degree

Desirable

• Relevant Masters Degree or evidence of working towards this
• Evidence of post graduate study in clinically related subject

Experience

Essential

• Lead, influence and motivate others.
• Influence and lead service developments and delivery.
• Demonstrate innovation in practice.
• Demonstrate a high level of personal and professional autonomy and an understanding of professional accountability.
• Function and contribute effectively to Trustwide initiatives.
• Incorporate high quality evidence in women centred care.
• Develop and maintain positive working relationships.

Desirable

• Demonstrate:
• Teaching and presentation skills
• IT skills
• Research and audit awareness
• Prior involvement in service development

Other

Essential

• Able to access all Trust sites.
• Good attendance record

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).