Job summary
This specialist midwifery role is designed to lead and coordinate the Perinatal Mortality Review Tool (PMRT) process across maternity services at Bedfordshire Hospital Trust. The successful candidate will work in close collaboration with the Governance and Safety Team and the Bereavement Midwives to ensure a compassionate, coordinated approach to reviewing perinatal deaths and embedding the learning into clinical practice. The role aims to improve outcomes through evidence-based recommendations, in line with national standards such as MBRRACE-UK, the NHS Resolution Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST), and the National Bereavement Care Pathway.
Working at the heart of the maternity governance structure, the post holder will support high-quality bereavement care by ensuring that all late miscarriages, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths undergo structured, timely, and family-informed reviews. They will facilitate multidisciplinary learning and improvement, ensuring that the experiences of families are respected, heard, and used to guide change.
Main duties of the job
Take a lead role in coordinating all elements of the PMRT review process within the maternity service.
Ensure that reviews are completed within expected timeframes and align with local risk management processes and the Trust's Patient Safety Incident Response Plan (PSIRF).
Facilitate and chair multidisciplinary PMRT meetings, ensuring appropriate stakeholders attend, including external agencies where necessary.
Work closely with Bereavement Midwives to identify cases, ensure notifications are submitted to MBRRACE, and enable family voices to inform the review.
Support family discussions to explain the review process and offer follow-up through meetings or written correspondence.
The post holder will meet with bereaved families to sensitively share the findings of the perinatal mortality review, offering compassionate explanation, emotional support, and the opportunity for families to ask questions and contribute to future learning.
Undertake detailed assessments of clinical care leading up to each perinatal loss and make expert judgments on the alignment of care with local and national guidelines.
Facilitate open, respectful, and reflective case discussions, using PMRT to identify avoidable factors and areas for learning.
About us
Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital services to a growing population of around 700,000 people living across Bedfordshire and the surrounding areas across two busy hospital sites in Bedford and Luton. Both hospital sites offer key services such as A&E, Obstetrics-led Maternity and Paediatrics. You will be joining a friendly, high performing Trust committed to ensuring the health and wellbeing of staff. As one of the largest NHS Trusts in our region you will have access to a programme of high quality training and development to help you grow your career. The Trust continues to be committed to delivering the best patient care using the best clinical knowledge and technology available.
We not only recruit based on qualifications and experience - we recruit individuals who demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. We achieve this by using values based recruitment. We are dedicated to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone, we are committed to promoting equality and diversity, and creating a culture that values differences.
Please note that vacancies may close prior to the advertised closing date when sufficient number of applications have been received. All new staff will be subject to a probationary period covering first 6 months in post. Travel between hospital sites may be required. Please review all documents attached to ensure you familiarize yourself with all requirements of the job.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post holder will be a practising midwife with knowledge of bereavement care, risk management and perinatal mortality. They will ensure all qualifying cases such as late miscarriages, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths are captured, reviewed, and reported in accordance with national guidance.
Translate learning from PMRT reviews into measurable improvements in clinical care, supporting the development of new pathways, policies, and education.
Liaise with the Education Midwifery Team to ensure that learning from reviews is integrated into the maternity training programme.
Work to support quality improvement. To design, implement and evaluate initiatives to reduce perinatal mortality and improve family support.
Act in accordance with the NMC Code, Midwives Rules, and all relevant Trust policies and national regulations.
Provide clinical presence and support in maternity areas during times of high activity, if required.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The post holder will be a practising midwife with knowledge of bereavement care, risk management and perinatal mortality. They will ensure all qualifying cases such as late miscarriages, stillbirths, and neonatal deaths are captured, reviewed, and reported in accordance with national guidance.
Translate learning from PMRT reviews into measurable improvements in clinical care, supporting the development of new pathways, policies, and education.
Liaise with the Education Midwifery Team to ensure that learning from reviews is integrated into the maternity training programme.
Work to support quality improvement. To design, implement and evaluate initiatives to reduce perinatal mortality and improve family support.
Act in accordance with the NMC Code, Midwives Rules, and all relevant Trust policies and national regulations.
Provide clinical presence and support in maternity areas during times of high activity, if required.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Midwife
- Evidence of ongoing professional development
Desirable
- Evidence of Degree or masters qualification
Experience
Essential
- Relevant clinical experience
- Clinical skills to provide support to specialists maternity rota as required
- Experience of caring for families experiencing pregnancy loss
Desirable
- Experience of Perinatal Mortality Review Tool, or similar
Knowledge
Essential
- Sound knowledge of current midwifery issues, with an understanding of the relevance and local impact of issues and policy from the wider arena of the midwifery profession and the NHS (e.g. NHS resolution, national bereavement care pathway).
- Sound clinical midwifery knowledge in all areas of maternity.
Personal Skills
Essential
- Evidence of good written and oral communication skills, including giving presentations, and chairing meetings.
- Evidence of involvement with quality improvement in clinical area.
- Ability to prioritise own workload and that of others and ability to work on own initiative.
- Demonstrate ability to meet Trust Values of safety, kindness, teamwork and improvement
Desirable
- Demonstrates understanding and engagement with quality issues (e.g. benchmarking)
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Registered Midwife
- Evidence of ongoing professional development
Desirable
- Evidence of Degree or masters qualification
Experience
Essential
- Relevant clinical experience
- Clinical skills to provide support to specialists maternity rota as required
- Experience of caring for families experiencing pregnancy loss
Desirable
- Experience of Perinatal Mortality Review Tool, or similar
Knowledge
Essential
- Sound knowledge of current midwifery issues, with an understanding of the relevance and local impact of issues and policy from the wider arena of the midwifery profession and the NHS (e.g. NHS resolution, national bereavement care pathway).
- Sound clinical midwifery knowledge in all areas of maternity.
Personal Skills
Essential
- Evidence of good written and oral communication skills, including giving presentations, and chairing meetings.
- Evidence of involvement with quality improvement in clinical area.
- Ability to prioritise own workload and that of others and ability to work on own initiative.
- Demonstrate ability to meet Trust Values of safety, kindness, teamwork and improvement
Desirable
- Demonstrates understanding and engagement with quality issues (e.g. benchmarking)
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.
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).
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.
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).
