Maternity Support Worker

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Maternity Support Worker is a diverse role incorporating additional skills to those of a Maternity Care Assistant.

Undertaking Clinical and Caring duties, alongside but under the guidance and supervision of registered practitioners. 

The post will be rotational with day and night duty working throughout all areas of maternity.

Working collaboratively with nurses, midwives, multi professional teams, service users and their families to provide excellent care.

Independently plan tasks and workload activities whilst ensuring that their practice is guided by standard operating procedures and established protocols.

Be able to prioritise workload and be responsible for planned care and tasks delegated from a registered practitioner. 

The Maternity Support Worker will be accountable to the Midwife or Nurse she is working alongside, whilst maintaining dignity of patients and relatives, respecting their individual needs and wishes. Whilst always maintaining a professional and presentable image.

Clerical / Managerial / Leadership
Welcome and orientate women/service users and their families to the ward/department.

Assist in preparing maternity notes, relevant charts, midwifery documentation and identity bracelets prior to and on admission.

Undertake clerical duties as directed by the Registered Midwife in relation to all verbal and written communications, ensuring messages and communications are passed to other team members, storage and retrieval of such information.

Request investigations, when competent to undertake obtaining the sample required, such as Blood samples, MSU and skin swabs.

Maintain contemporaneous and accurate records of actions taken and care offered.

Alert other team members of issues of quality and risk, and if required using the DATIX system to report any concerns.

Ensure the effective and efficient use of resources.

To undertake patient referrals sensitively and empathetically, being able to communicate with a wide range of people, some of whom may be in distress.

To provide telephone support for the team, dealing with both straightforward and complex enquires from a range of sources, including clinical teams, patients, relatives, carers, GP’s and other healthcare professionals.

To ensure that messages are communicated accurately and dealt with in an appropriate and timely manner via email and telephone.

To accurately input, update and retrieve data in a timely manner, using a variety of systems (electronic and paper based), including both patient/client records. Ensure information is held in a secure and confidential manner in line with data protection guidelines.

To assist in the compilation and reporting of weekly, monthly and quarterly statistics / audits.

To undertake any other appropriate duties when required demonstrating both flexibility and support, delegated by the multi-disciplinary team. 

To undertake general office duties as required, including making appointments, photocopying, scanning, emails, etc.

Acquire IT skills relevant to area of work and be able to access a variety of computer-based patient systems, maintaining IT skills and seek further training if required.
Attend ward/department meetings.

Contribute in the supply and maintenance of materials and equipment to ensure the efficient running of the clinical environment.

Clinical
Work within NHS trust policies, procedures, standards and guidelines.
Actively participate in the recognition and prevention of maternal illness and respond effectively in an emergency.

Must be able to telephone for emergency assistance.

When necessary initiate and assist with basic life support cardio-pulmonary resuscitation procedures.

Preform and record women’s vital signs as directed, reporting deviations to the Registered Midwife on duty – Temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, respirations and oxygen saturations.

Preform and record maternal capillary blood sample for glucose levels, using the trust blood glucose monitoring equipment. Reporting results to the Registered Midwife on duty.

Perform and record maternal urine testing- Midstream, 24hr collection, Dip-stick as per trust policy.

Reporting deviations to Registered Midwife on duty.
Independently remove indwelling urethral catheter, ensuring accurate documentation in patient’s records (following appropriate training).

Use blood gas analyser, when asked in line with national and local policies.

Undertake venepuncture as directed by registered practitioner, in line with national standards and local policy.

Ensuring any documentation is counter signed.

Remove a patient cannula – as directed by the registered midwife.
Arrange and process microbiological specimens.

To undertake routine postoperative care, within trust and local policies guidelines.

Assist the midwife in the preparing the woman/service user for transfer to theatre. 

Support the midwife during the birth
 *Setting up equipment
* Counting swabs and needles used for normal vaginal delivery and midwife-led perineal 
repair.
*Undertaking observations
* Initiating skin to skin and feeding
*Supporting maternal/infant bonding
*Maintain fluid balance
*Weigh baby and label
*Undertake initial observations of baby
*Observing baby to detect problems or wellbeing

Assisting women with personal hygiene and physical comfort
Support the safe transfer of women from ward to ward or other departments.

Advise and assist mothers/partners in the care of their newborn, reporting findings and any concerns to the Registered Midwife on Duty.

Recognise and report to a Registered Midwife potential signs of neonatal jaundice.

At the request of the Registered Midwife, preform and record neonatal blood glucose levels (heel prick utilising trust glucose monitoring equipment) reporting and documenting findings to Registered Midwife.

When requested by a registered midwife or nurse, describe, undertake and document vital signs of the neonate: temperature, respiratory rate, heart rate, and oxygen saturation and where appropriate report to a midwife (appropriate training to be completed prior).

Perform infant hygiene, eye care and umbilical cord care, under the indirect supervision of a midwife, reporting all findings to the midwife.

Assist in the provision of education with regard to infant feeding and to promote and support breast feeding. To include initiation of feeding and hand expression, use of breast pump and safe formula feeding in line with the Baby Friendly principles.

Preform additional clinical skills as directed by registered practitioner where trained and competent to do so.

Actively support and assist in alleviating distress and anxiety of women, families and carers consistent with the personal beliefs and preferences.

Prepare and support the discharge home for women and babies following birth.

Complete discharge procedures and processes for low risk mothers and their babies under the guidance of the registered midwife.

Able to adapt to unpredictable changes and requirements of the unit due to workload/sickness.

Provide health promotion advice to individual women/service users and their families, including smoking cessation, healthy eating, alcohol, infections, SIDS, co sleeping, antennal and neonatal screening including BCG and family planning.

Assisting women with postnatal exercises.

Engage with women/service users and their families from vulnerable groups to offer support, advice and encouragement with the birth experience and parenting.

Support women/service users and their families following loss and bereavement.

Maintain cleanliness in the work environment

Provides support and guidance to maternity care assistants with support from a registered midwife.

Listen and respond sensitivity to mothers/service users, their families and communicate any concerns about women and/or babies to the midwife. 

Promoting the individual's right of informed choice and acknowledgement of cultural beliefs.

Provide reassurance, support to patients, carers and family.

Ensure own actions help to maintain quality.

To respond to patient requests for non-clinical information to improve communication.

Maintain confidentiality in relation to women and their families and staff information consistent with legislation and trust polices. All staff are expected to respect the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Community Role where applicable in addition to skills already outlined. (Additional training provided):
Support the midwife and women by:
*Measurement of height, weight and BMI
* Generation of the Growth chart 
* Preform baseline observations and urinalysis
* Assess CO levels
* Venepuncture
* Discuss and outline screening tests.
*Discuss health advice around food, exercise, food hygiene, personal care and immunisations in pregnancy.
* Complete data entry and record keeping in lie with national and local polices.
*Make client appointments in line with agreed care pathways
* Follow up on women with who DNA in line with the agreed pathways reporting to the registered midwife.
* Follow up on blood and microscopy tests and report back to registered midwife.
* Infant feeding support.
*Support women/service users and their families in the community
* Undertake the Newborn Blood Spot Screening 

Education & Development:
Recognises and consistently works within their boundaries of the role and acquire skills and knowledge to develop competencies in caring for women and their families.

Maintain responsibility for the identification of own continuing development and educational needs and take part in annual appraisal.

The MSW will complete mandatory training as required by Medway NHS Foundation Trust and national legislation

The MSW will work with the education team to obtain their competencies to provide the clinical skills required.

Once competent participate in the training of new Maternity Care Assistant or Maternity Support Workers