Director of Midwifery

Job description

Job responsibilities

Selection day: Wednesday 5 February 2025

The Director of Midwifery will act as the Trust expert on midwifery and maternity issues both internally and externally. The role is a key senior leadership position, ensuring excellent quality outcomes and experience for women, birthing people and their families when using Trust Maternity Services.

The Director of Midwifery will:

Be a senior member of the Executive Director of Nursing, Midwifery, AHPs and Qualitys leadership team, operating with a significant degree of autonomy and being the recognised professional lead for midwifery with the Trust.

Report directly to the Board on midwifery and maternity matters

Have the support of an Executive and Non-Executive Board Level Maternity Safety Champion

Set the vision and strategy for midwifery within the Trust and, with the Clinical Director, develop the strategy for maternity services, ensuring that the vision and strategy are aligned to the Trusts mission, vision and values and focus on improving outcomes and experience for women.

Lead on setting and maintaining a compassionate and inclusive culture in midwifery and, with the Clinical Director, across the maternity services. This should be an open and respectful culture where teams are confident and skilled in providing regular, constructive feedback, where issues can be raised and solved openly, leading to improvements for women, their families and for staff.

Provide expert professional advice to the Executive, Board and partner organisations on midwifery and maternity matters, maintaining an up to date understanding of national policy and best practice.

Set professional standards, and agree and direct the delivery of safety and quality objectives to continuously improve midwifery and maternity services (the latter with the Clinical Director).

Act as an advocate for the needs of women and birthing people and for continuous improvement in their experience and outcomes.

Work with the support of the Care Group Director, Associate Director of Operations (Family Health), and with the Clinical Director, Heads of Midwifery and the General Manager to ensure the Service meets all external requirements relating to Maternity Services in relation to national plans, MSSP, CQC, CNST and HSIB etc.

Actively establish and build a wide range of effective networks, contacts and partnerships within and external to the Trust which are used to inform and influence improvements in service delivery and outcomes.

Work as an integral member of a leadership quadrumvirate for the Family Health Care Group, which brings together maternity, neonatal obstetrics, gynaecology, and paediatric services, to ensure that: there is seamless and effective integration between relevant services; overall care group objectives are achieved, and the service is fully connected into the Trusts overall governance and management model.

Develop constructive and effective working relationships with the Executive, the Board and within the quadrumvirate as an enabler for the success of the midwifery teams and maternity services.

Be responsible for ensuring that Professional Midwifery Advocacy is in place for all midwives, working collaboratively with the corporate nursing directorate PMA/PNA lead to ensure that the Trust has a robust model in place.

Work with all stakeholders, including Deputy and Associate Directors of Nursing, to ensure optimum standards of care and shared learning across all areas.

This post holder is a senior member of the Family Health Care Group but will work closely with the Nursing and Quality Directorate and have a direct link to the Executive Team and Trust Board.

The Family Health Care Group includes the Directorate of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the Directorates of Paediatrics, Neonates and Childrens Therapies.

There are approximately 4,300 births per annum across County Durham and Darlington hospital sites.

The Obstetric Unit at the University Hospital of North Durham has:

13 delivery rooms

13 bed Ante/Postnatal Ward

Recovery Area

One dedicated obstetric theatre

Planned C/S lists in main theatre three times per week

One birthing pool

Pregnancy Assessment Unit 9 bedded area with a scan room

Antenatal Clinic 4 rooms

Bereavement suite

The Obstetric Unit at Darlington Memorial Hospital has:

10 Delivery Rooms

23 Bed Antenatal/Postnatal Ward

One dedicated Obstetric Theatre

Recovery area 2 beds

Planned C/S lists in main theatre twice a week

One birthing pool

Pregnancy Assessment Unit 1 scan room, 1 triage room, 3 assessment rooms

Antenatal clinic 5 rooms

Plans in place to develop a bereavement suite

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Registered Midwife with current NMC registration
• Significant post registration experience, as Head of Midwifery or equivalent
• Educated to Masters level supplemented by further specialist training
• Evidence of relevant and recent Continuous Professional development
• Leadership qualification

Desirable

• Registered Nurse

Experience

Essential

• In-depth professional knowledge and experience of Midwifery across acute, community services and midwife led services.
• Clear understanding of the concept and working arrangements of diverse clinical areas
• High level knowledge of all current issues related to professional Midwifery practice
• Has a good understanding of quality improvement and research and can demonstrate how this has influenced their practice
• Experience of implementing safeguarding requirements
• Demonstrable experience delivering positive service improvement at a senior level
• Experience of leading and successfully implementing service improvement/redesign programmes in a multi-disciplinary environment/ across a range of services
• Experience of effective co-production with women and their families
• Proven ability to work across organisational boundaries, develop networks and alliances, project a vision and obtain ownership and commitment from stakeholders
• Experience of managing conduct/professional issues

Skills

Essential

• Advanced keyboard skills, with familiarity with the Microsoft Office suite and BadgerNet
• Ability to travel independently across Trust sites, regionally and nationally as required

Skills & Knowledge

Essential

• Highly developed analytical and problem-solving skills; capable of interpreting and evaluating complex, multi-faceted information; ability to summarise complex information; ability to make judgements and advise on the best course of action
• Ability to present highly complex/controversial information to a wide range of audiences, with differing levels of understanding, in a suitable format and with appropriate explanation
• Ability to influence, persuade and motivate others
• Ability to collaborate constructively with all key stakeholders (internal and external) and to create the conditions for successful partnership working
• Ability to provide a clear vision for change which is a source of inspiration and motivation for others
• Skilled in all aspects of managing change, including supporting staff and including patients ability to monitor and act to improve and deliver performance and establish high levels of quality and to hold others to account for delivery
• Highly skilled in identifying opportunities for partnership working, managing on going stakeholder relationships and proving support to others in this area
• Highly-developed leadership and influencing skills with the ability to enthuse, motivate and involve individuals and teams across the Trust
• Be able to articulate the evolving strategy and vision for the future of Midwifery and be able to demonstrate the opportunities this will provide
• Ability to analyse complex clinical issues/problems, identify necessary action and make recommendations and follow these through
• Ability to demonstrate emotional leadership skills and apply to appropriate situations
• High level of work organisation, self- motivation, drive for performance and improvement and flexibility in approach
• Highly developed communication skills to resolve complex, high
• impact situations in highly complex environments
• Highly developed written communication and report writing skills
• A strong commitment to openness, honesty and integrity
• Demonstrate the ability to work under pressure whilst supporting and getting the most out of staff
• Confident of management ability and ability to be credible and confident in dealing with both clinicians and senior management staff
• Able to lead by example, and role model Trust behaviours and values
• Knowledge of wider NHS Agenda and current issues

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).

Employer details

Employer name

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust

Hollyhurst Road

Darlington

County Durham

DL3 6HX

Employer's website

https://www.cddft.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)