Job summary
An opportunity has arisen within the Women's Clinical Business Unit to be a Specialist Midwife for the Bereavement Service for 12 months, fixed term, to support the maternity and gynaecology service. The substantive post holder will commence Maternity leave.
We are seeking an innovative, proactive, compassionate Midwife who can demonstrate a high level of specialised bereavement care through evidenced based information who has exceptional organisational skills to monitor, review and provide assurance that the service meets the national recommendations.
Your primary focus is working in close partnership with the multidisciplinary team, service users and external agencies that support women and families at such a life changing event.
You will participate in the bed manager role and the senior midwife on call rota following a period of support.
If you are an inspirational, motivated midwife dedicated to families who have suffered pregnancy loss or baby death, we welcome your application.
Main duties of the job
You will be an aspirational leader with clinical credibility, which is pivotal to service transformation and delivering on the ambition to be a bereavement service that is 'gold standard', implementing the recommended assurances to demonstrates a quality service.
In addition you are integral to supporting midwives and the multidisciplinary team. The bereavement service has recently recruited additional part time midwives to assist and provide a connection between our clinical teams and the families, 7 days per week. You will line manage the team and encourage them to develop and attend courses to maximise service potential .
You will regularly engage with any additional specialist teams that support families. A dedicated pathway for palliative care facilitated by Midwifery and Neonatal practitioners is established. The service successfully collaborates and cares for families on a joint care pathway who wish to continue their pregnancy despite their baby being diagnosed with an abnormality; Knowns as the 'Butterfly' pathway.
About us
Each year the service has around 5,500 births. The bereavement service supports approximately 140 families a year who suffer pregnancy loss or a baby death. We have a dedicated bereavement suite 'Snowdrop room' in the labour ward, so women can be supported and birth in a self -contained environment. The labour ward environment has completed an extensive modernisation and environmental safety programme . Further work to internal birth rooms is planned to ensure the '15 steps review' is fulfilled in line with service user recommendations. Extensive work to meet the Human Tissue Authority regulation, 2004 has begun.
In conjunction with the Lead Matron for Quality & Safety and dedicated Obstetric and Gynaecology Consultants, you will co-ordinate further transformational change, be a visionary individual leading and implementing the National Bereavement Care Pathway action plan and other regional and national action plans to successfully integrate systems of care and provide excellent outcomes for bereaved families. You will develop cohesive relationships with the Quality and Safety team to lead on the patient and family perspective within the perinatal Mortality review process. This will include working alongside the specialist Midwives that improve and lead Quality in Midwifery Practice and the 'Saving babies lives care bundle' .
Job description
Job responsibilities
Professional/Leadership
- Provide expert support; Ensure all staff are equipt with knowledge and information to care , support and deliver compassionate practical advice to women following a miscarriage, still birth or neonatal death.
- Forge strong professional relationships with the antenatal screening midwife, other specialist Midwives and consultants to devise personalised plans of care for women with a confirmed fetal abnormality who chose to terminate their pregnancy or continue their pregnancy.
- Supports obstetricans during bereavement follow up care in a variety of setting and methods e.g face to face or virtual.
- To provide and direct midwifery care and leadership in accordance with the The Code for Nurses and Midwives (NMC, 2015).
- Uphold the Trusts values and behaviours and behave in a manner fitting with the responsibility of the position , maintaining public confidence.
- Maintain records and documentation in accordance with the profession and Trust guidelines for record keeping. Maintain a proactive approach regarding record keeping and documentation with all team members.
- Ensure personal attendance at key professional meetings that contribute to the service.
- Work closely with the senior midwifery leadership team to ensure that the patients experience is optimised.
- Ensure effective involvement of service users in service provision by encouraging and acting on service user feedback.
- Involve external agencies such as SANDS, Forgetmenot trust and the Maternity Voices Partnership to actively evalauate and ensure the bereavement service is respectful, personalised and caring.
Professional Registration
- Maintain their own professional status and registration where appropriate
- Work within the professional regulations set by NMC The Code
- To maintain own professional development, including maintenance of Personal Professional Portfolio towards effective preparation for professional revalidation.
Managerial
- o organise, manage and support a team of midwives in providing safe, effective, individualised continuity of care for all mothers throughout the antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal periods who have experienced previous pregnancy loss or pre term birth.
- To support, direct and have final responsibility for activity, staff cover and skill mix in the Bereavement continuity of care team and the bereavement service, applying principles of risk assessment and management to ensure safe and effective service provision.
- To nurture and direct midwives to manage a caseload for a defined group of childbearing women .
- Seek support from clinical experts and/or Matron to optimise care for the routine surveillance of antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care.
- To support the team of midwives in pursuing excellence to provide and promote Midwife Led Care, sensitive and personalised care due to bereavement.
- To organise and prioritise own workload and delegate work to support midwife and other health care and administration staff within the clinical areas.
- To collect, collate and monitor performance, activity and workforce information relative to the role. Communicating to the teams results and improvements to enhance quality and safety for women.
- Conduct appraisals for the staff within the team and bereavement service.
- Through the provision of effective leadership and management, develop and sustain a culture of excellence within the team and across an integrated maternity service that enables delivery of a high standard of clinical care whilst maintaining the privacy and dignity of women and their families
- Influence the development of services and play a key role as a change agent, leading staff and facilitating the change process whilst encouraging others to be innovative and adaptable in their approach to change
- Manage resources in an efficient and effective way, influencing and contributing towards lean budgets working with senior managers to maximise efficiencies and reduce waste for the bereavement and integrated Maternity Service.
- Supports the senior management team by participating in the recruitment of staff, facilitating the development of staff that can support career development and succession planning within the maternity team.
- Use appraisal and personal development plans taking into account both the needs of the bereavement and maternity service, supporting the aspirations of the individual practitioner
- Ensures that equipment used as part of delivering the berevament service and what is used within the continuity of care team, is in accordance with the manufacturers instructions, is able to be used safely and is stored Reports problems to appropriate personnel.
- To take part in the Maternity bed manager rota ( formerly know as hot desk) and the senior on call rota.
Communication
- Maintain efficient and effective, compassionate and empathetic communication with colleagues of all disciplines both within the maternity services and outside agencies, relatives and women to promote and maintain high standards of bereavement care , recognising equality and diversity.
- Provides a high level of communication and advice to staff when they themselves are supporting parents through the practicalities of childbirth when faced with unexpected pregnancy loss.
- Establish robust communication mechanisms with teams via meetings, virtual platforms and innovative ways ensuring the dissemination of information is received to all staff groups.
- Promote the core values of BTHFT in relation to attitudes, behaviours and expected
standards of communication acting as a role model in the methods used.
Research/Audit
Demonstrates a high level of commitment to research, audit and education in the clinical areas, working with external providers to devlop programmes of education that inform all staff within the multi disciplinary team of current best practice on bereavement care.
- Takes responsibility for the completion and monitoring of the Perinatal Mortality Reveiew Tool, submitting statistical data as required.
- Participates and presents cases in the monthly perinatal meetings
- Regualary meets with the Specialist Midwives for Risk and Governance to contribute to the review of cases where a stillbirth or neonatal death requires an investigation.
- Works with the Specalist Midwives for risk and governance to disseminate the outcomes and actions as a result of Serious untoward incidents( SIs). Work together to embed change within clinical practice and evaluate the learning to assure safety and quality.
- Contributes expert advice and offers support to lead investigator, participating in report writing as required.
- lead in benchmarking the quality of bereavement services in response to National and Local guidance e.g NICE, RCM, RCOG , independent and commisioned investiagtions.
- Produces action plans to improve services where necessary to improve care given to women and their families
- Challenges practice and uses audit/research to implement change supported by relevant evidence based practice
- Identifies the need for audit and research
Job description
Job responsibilities
Professional/Leadership
- Provide expert support; Ensure all staff are equipt with knowledge and information to care , support and deliver compassionate practical advice to women following a miscarriage, still birth or neonatal death.
- Forge strong professional relationships with the antenatal screening midwife, other specialist Midwives and consultants to devise personalised plans of care for women with a confirmed fetal abnormality who chose to terminate their pregnancy or continue their pregnancy.
- Supports obstetricans during bereavement follow up care in a variety of setting and methods e.g face to face or virtual.
- To provide and direct midwifery care and leadership in accordance with the The Code for Nurses and Midwives (NMC, 2015).
- Uphold the Trusts values and behaviours and behave in a manner fitting with the responsibility of the position , maintaining public confidence.
- Maintain records and documentation in accordance with the profession and Trust guidelines for record keeping. Maintain a proactive approach regarding record keeping and documentation with all team members.
- Ensure personal attendance at key professional meetings that contribute to the service.
- Work closely with the senior midwifery leadership team to ensure that the patients experience is optimised.
- Ensure effective involvement of service users in service provision by encouraging and acting on service user feedback.
- Involve external agencies such as SANDS, Forgetmenot trust and the Maternity Voices Partnership to actively evalauate and ensure the bereavement service is respectful, personalised and caring.
Professional Registration
- Maintain their own professional status and registration where appropriate
- Work within the professional regulations set by NMC The Code
- To maintain own professional development, including maintenance of Personal Professional Portfolio towards effective preparation for professional revalidation.
Managerial
- o organise, manage and support a team of midwives in providing safe, effective, individualised continuity of care for all mothers throughout the antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal periods who have experienced previous pregnancy loss or pre term birth.
- To support, direct and have final responsibility for activity, staff cover and skill mix in the Bereavement continuity of care team and the bereavement service, applying principles of risk assessment and management to ensure safe and effective service provision.
- To nurture and direct midwives to manage a caseload for a defined group of childbearing women .
- Seek support from clinical experts and/or Matron to optimise care for the routine surveillance of antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care.
- To support the team of midwives in pursuing excellence to provide and promote Midwife Led Care, sensitive and personalised care due to bereavement.
- To organise and prioritise own workload and delegate work to support midwife and other health care and administration staff within the clinical areas.
- To collect, collate and monitor performance, activity and workforce information relative to the role. Communicating to the teams results and improvements to enhance quality and safety for women.
- Conduct appraisals for the staff within the team and bereavement service.
- Through the provision of effective leadership and management, develop and sustain a culture of excellence within the team and across an integrated maternity service that enables delivery of a high standard of clinical care whilst maintaining the privacy and dignity of women and their families
- Influence the development of services and play a key role as a change agent, leading staff and facilitating the change process whilst encouraging others to be innovative and adaptable in their approach to change
- Manage resources in an efficient and effective way, influencing and contributing towards lean budgets working with senior managers to maximise efficiencies and reduce waste for the bereavement and integrated Maternity Service.
- Supports the senior management team by participating in the recruitment of staff, facilitating the development of staff that can support career development and succession planning within the maternity team.
- Use appraisal and personal development plans taking into account both the needs of the bereavement and maternity service, supporting the aspirations of the individual practitioner
- Ensures that equipment used as part of delivering the berevament service and what is used within the continuity of care team, is in accordance with the manufacturers instructions, is able to be used safely and is stored Reports problems to appropriate personnel.
- To take part in the Maternity bed manager rota ( formerly know as hot desk) and the senior on call rota.
Communication
- Maintain efficient and effective, compassionate and empathetic communication with colleagues of all disciplines both within the maternity services and outside agencies, relatives and women to promote and maintain high standards of bereavement care , recognising equality and diversity.
- Provides a high level of communication and advice to staff when they themselves are supporting parents through the practicalities of childbirth when faced with unexpected pregnancy loss.
- Establish robust communication mechanisms with teams via meetings, virtual platforms and innovative ways ensuring the dissemination of information is received to all staff groups.
- Promote the core values of BTHFT in relation to attitudes, behaviours and expected
standards of communication acting as a role model in the methods used.
Research/Audit
Demonstrates a high level of commitment to research, audit and education in the clinical areas, working with external providers to devlop programmes of education that inform all staff within the multi disciplinary team of current best practice on bereavement care.
- Takes responsibility for the completion and monitoring of the Perinatal Mortality Reveiew Tool, submitting statistical data as required.
- Participates and presents cases in the monthly perinatal meetings
- Regualary meets with the Specialist Midwives for Risk and Governance to contribute to the review of cases where a stillbirth or neonatal death requires an investigation.
- Works with the Specalist Midwives for risk and governance to disseminate the outcomes and actions as a result of Serious untoward incidents( SIs). Work together to embed change within clinical practice and evaluate the learning to assure safety and quality.
- Contributes expert advice and offers support to lead investigator, participating in report writing as required.
- lead in benchmarking the quality of bereavement services in response to National and Local guidance e.g NICE, RCM, RCOG , independent and commisioned investiagtions.
- Produces action plans to improve services where necessary to improve care given to women and their families
- Challenges practice and uses audit/research to implement change supported by relevant evidence based practice
- Identifies the need for audit and research
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience of working as a Registered Midwife in a wide range of settings
- Recent experience of working with women and families who are bereaved following pregnancy loss
- Experience of breaking bad news and facilitating difficult conversations
- Experience of facilitating teaching and training
- Good understanding and experience of assurance processes/audit/change management
Skills
Essential
- Well-developed skills in communication to effectively deliver sensitive information to women, families in consultation with professional colleagues, verbally, in writing and using digital /technical methods.
- High level of organisational skills, self-motivation, drive for performance and quality improvement, and flexibility in approach and attitude
Knowledge
Essential
- Understanding of what the NHS Constitution means to you, and your responsibilities to the public, patients and colleagues.
- Awareness of key issues and drivers within the National Maternity Agenda
Qualifications
Essential
- Evidence of commitment to continuous learning and application in practice,in particular in bereavement care
- First level Registered Midwife with current NMC registration
- Application E First Degree or equivalent level of knowledge and experience gained in a relevant environment
- Application E Teaching Qualification as defined by the NMC e.g SLIP/FLIP
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience of working as a Registered Midwife in a wide range of settings
- Recent experience of working with women and families who are bereaved following pregnancy loss
- Experience of breaking bad news and facilitating difficult conversations
- Experience of facilitating teaching and training
- Good understanding and experience of assurance processes/audit/change management
Skills
Essential
- Well-developed skills in communication to effectively deliver sensitive information to women, families in consultation with professional colleagues, verbally, in writing and using digital /technical methods.
- High level of organisational skills, self-motivation, drive for performance and quality improvement, and flexibility in approach and attitude
Knowledge
Essential
- Understanding of what the NHS Constitution means to you, and your responsibilities to the public, patients and colleagues.
- Awareness of key issues and drivers within the National Maternity Agenda
Qualifications
Essential
- Evidence of commitment to continuous learning and application in practice,in particular in bereavement care
- First level Registered Midwife with current NMC registration
- Application E First Degree or equivalent level of knowledge and experience gained in a relevant environment
- Application E Teaching Qualification as defined by the NMC e.g SLIP/FLIP
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
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.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
