North Cotswolds Community Midwife Cheltenham- Band 6

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Midwifery care

- To provide the full range of midwifery support and care, which includes antenatal and postnatal care, on calls, homebirths, liaising with midwifery colleagues, obstetric consultants and other relevant members of the multi-disciplinary team when appropriate

- To be competent in the full range of midwifery skills, including: venepuncture, cannulation, perineal suturing, intravenous drug administration, maternal and neonatal resuscitation, care of regional anaesthesia, and infant feeding support.

- To assess the mother’s and baby’s condition and deliver appropriate care, within the multidisciplinary team.

- To carry out appropriate screening tests on women and babies, following appropriate discussion with the woman and informed consent.  

- To be able to diagnose / recognise specific problems and make decisions in the provision of care related to pregnancy, childbirth and the postnatal period, informing the most suitably qualified person to assist in the provision of care in the event of any deviation from the norm.

- To deliver safe care within a challenging and changing clinical environment, using equipment and resources safely and as appropriate.

- To provide health education and support with parenting skills to individuals and/ or formal and informal groups.

- To communicate effectively, especially where mother’s ability to do so is compromised.

- To receive information which may cause emotional distress to all parties and disseminates contentious, complex and sensitive information appropriately.

- To maintain accurate and contemporaneous records.

- To adhere to all Trust policies and procedures and Midwives Rules and Standards.

- Maintain women’s dignity and confidentiality at all times.

- Demonstrate and promote a person/family centred, holistic  style of clinical practice.

- To be responsible for the organisation of own caseload and appropriately delegate to support workers or other staff members in order to ensure effective time management.  To assist the team in the day to day running of the clinical area.

- To communicate with the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) to aid effective woman-centred care, which will include taking an active role in team meetings, joint consultations and case conferences as required.

- Respond to emergency situations with composure, maintaining patient safety and seeking immediate support. Whilst supporting the woman, family and other staff as required.

- To communicate effectively, with women and families, potentially complex, sensitive or distressing information; in order to provide family centred care.

Professional practice

- Registered Midwife with the Nursing and Midwifery Council with degree, diploma or relevant midwifery experience.

- To be a competent, autonomous practitioner accountable for own actions, working within the NMC Standards for Competence for Registered Midwives 2018

- To maintain and develop clinical competencies in all aspects of midwifery care, to provide records of the same in the form of a portfolio. Evidence of ongoing reflection on care provided, to enhance quality of service provision and meet revalidation requirements. 

- Participate in annual appraisal, identifying specific training requirements of self as part of service planning and continuous personal development.

- To meet with Professional Midwifery Advocate on an annual basis.

- To provide support and guidance to colleagues in their professional role in the clinical environment, facilitating change where appropriate.

- Ensure clinical practice is evidence based or peer reviewed “best practice.”

- With supervision and assistance take on increased responsibility recognising own limitations and seeking help appropriately.

- Be competent in the use of all relevant Trust IT systems including the use of electronic patient record, email, and PACS. 

- Maintain regular use of emails to keep abreast of information disseminated within the Trust.

- Demonstrate an awareness and understanding of Accountability, responsibility and Duty of Care and work towards the provision of support and education for less experienced and non-registered staff on the implications for practice. 

Leadership and management

- To participate in Annual Appraisal and development of clinical competencies.

- To assist in the development of a culture of continuous quality improvement. To actively participate in audit and research trials to facilitate clinical effectiveness 

- To contribute to public health initiatives in order to provide care which will improve both maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity.

- To take responsibility for mentorship and training of students and support staff as well as  preceptorship of newly qualified midwives.

- To deputise for the senior midwife effectively and efficiently.  This will include organising meetings and work load and planning duty rotas.

- To lead the midwifery team, in the absence of the senior midwife, in the full range of obstetric and neonatal emergencies regardless of the practice setting.  

- To take responsibility for correct usage of equipment, e.g. Resuscitation equipment, Sonicaid, TCB.  To ensure all are checked daily and any faults reported and followed up immediately to the appropriate personnel.

- To responsibly input and retrieve patient information from computer-based systems in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

- Comply with Trust and Departmental policies and procedures e.g., Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), Manual Handling, clinical equipment competency, risk management, Data Protection Acts and patient confidentiality at all times. This will include demonstrating compliance with the terms of all safeguarding policies and processes relevant to the safeguarding of adults and children in the care of GHNHSFT and to undergo regular mandatory training concerned with safeguarding matters. 

- In conjunction with their manager, identify training needs of self, participating in clinical audit and quality projects which contribute to the departmental education programme.

- Report near misses and untoward incidents, complaints, clinical emergencies, injury or medicine administration errors as detailed in the departmental and Trust protocols.

- Assist lead staff in investigating incidents as required. 

- Maintain and contribute to the development of standards of practice, conduct or decision making in conjunction with lead staff.

- Ensure a smart, professional image that enhances the public perception of the Trust and the professionalism of its staff is portrayed. 

Education and training

- Be actively involved in and support departmental education programmes.

- Regularly access educational opportunities to enhance knowledge and improve quality of care.

- To participate in the supervision, and clinical education of support workers, progressing to supervising undergraduates and less experienced staff with support of senior staff, as required. Providing support, guidance, training, and assessing and evaluating competence, in order to fulfil clinical governance requirements and retain a skilled workforce. 

- Develop the skills to supervise, mentor, support and educate less experienced and non-registered staff in the clinical practice setting.

- To participate in Mandatory Trust and Midwifery in-service training on an annual basis to enhance safety and quality of care provided. 

- Demonstrate a commitment to research-based practice, clinical excellence and play an active part in the introduction of research-based change to improve patient centred care.

Improving quality and developing practice

- To assist in the development of a culture of continuous quality improvement, embracing lifelong learning, continually striving to deliver a higher standard of evidence-based midwifery care.

- Work with senior staff undertaking audit and research projects, to further own and team’s clinical practice within each rotation. To be involved in making recommendations for changes to practice and procedures for the relevant clinical area, and the implementation of these changes.

- Contribute to the Clinical Governance and Quality agenda by active participation in service initiatives, health and safety and risk management.

- Develop and share own clinical knowledge with other members of the wider clinical team both locally and nationally.

- Identify own development needs, aligning these to service requirements and personal aspirations. Proactively develop and improve own practice using all available resources.

- Understand and contribute to the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies/ protocols/ guidelines relevant to the specialist area.

- Openly question and challenge practice in a constructive way so that standards of care are continually evaluated and improved.

For full details see additional Job Description