A Vacancy at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
Maternity Support Workers
The job is based across our maternity services both In- patient and outpatient services. Maternity areas include Delivery suite, Maternity ward, Maternity Triage, Antenatal Day Assessment Unit, Antenatal Clinic and community. We can consider preferences for inpatient or outpatient working base and hours of work.
This post would be an ideal opportunity for those people that are self- motivated, enthusiastic, flexible and organised to support the delivery of high quality care to mothers and newborns during their antenatal, intra-partum, and postnatal care. You will have a passion for maternity care, and will work closely with and be supported by a team of midwives.
If you are new to working in healthcare, you’ll be supported to develop yourself through our Support Worker Development Programme for Maternity Support Workers. Upon successful completion of this Programme, you will have the opportunity to progress into a Band 3 post.
If you’re an experienced Maternity Support Worker seeking a new opportunity, you’ll undertake a skills analysis to ensure you meet the requirements of the role. If there are gaps in your knowledge, you’ll be supported to access relevant clinical modules to support your progression to a Band 3 post.
Evidence of prior learning will be reviewed & considered.
This post will close once enough applications are received. This may be before the advertised closing date.
Being supervised by Registered Midwives and within Trust guidelines & protocols, you’ll assist the Midwifery team in delivering the excellent standard of patient care that you would expect for yourself and your loved ones.
The MSW will be expected to work both independently with individual women and their families and in conjunction with the midwife; this may include group settings providing tailored parent education sessions or in conjunction with the midwife. The post holder will play a key role in supporting women to receive optimum care, implementing plans of care devised by a midwife to pregnant women, post-natal women and new born babies.
Following training, you will also be required to perform blood tests on both Mothers and babies. You will also be expected to support the midwives with administration eg: ordering blood tests, preparing booking packs, preparing homebirth packs.
The role will also include cleaning and maintaining the environment, restocking and ordering equipment, use of IT systems including HIS and PAS.
You will have excellent interpersonal skills as you will be communicating with women on the phone and working closely with the women and their families.
Please note: if you do not have the required qualifications to meet the Band 3 role, you will be appointed as a Band 2. Please note Band 2 roles are not eligible for sponsorship if required to work in the UK
Choose Well – Choose WWL
Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust are the proud providers of acute hospital and community services to the people of the Wigan Borough and surrounding areas. At WWL, we value our staff believing that ‘happy staff, makes for happy patients’. We have a recognised track record in staff engagement and living our values.
WWL are committed to placing the patient at the heart of everything we do, and in the provision of safe, effective care that acknowledges and ensures dignity. With this in mind we are seeking to recruit people who share our values and beliefs.
Please note that senior positions (AFC band 8A or above) may be expected to participate in an on-call rota, if the role is predominantly operational.
• Welcome and orientate women/partners and visitors to the ward/department.
• Assist in preparing women’s notes, relevant charts, midwifery documentation and identity bands 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.
• Ensure women/babies nutritional needs are met through assisting in the preparation of meals and beverages
• Appropriately record and monitor dietary intake of women/babies, informing relevant staff of progress and/or any difficulties relating to dietary/fluid intake.
• Assist women in gaining access to and in the use of appropriate toilet facilities. Measure and record body waste/fluid balance accurately. This includes baby nappy care.
• Assist women in maintaining their personal hygiene, grooming and dressing needs with specific concern for their religious, cultural and personal preference, ensuring privacy and dignity at all times.
• Assist women in their mobility requirements, help move and position appropriately to maximise their physical comfort.
• Preparing women for clinical examination and tests and acting as a chaperone as required.
• Under the supervision of a Registered Midwife assist mothers/partners in caring for their new-born baby.
• Promote standards of health and safety in working practice and the workplace, by being responsible for self and others through identifying risks, undertaking work activities in a safe manner.
• Maintain cleanliness in the work environment in line with Trust Health and Safety policies.
• Attend ward /department meetings.
• Have an underlying awareness of public health and promotion initiatives.
• Act at all times in a manner, which illustrates respect for privacy, dignity and confidentiality.
• Exhibit professional behaviour and attitude at all times and demonstrate excellent customer care skills.
• Use IT systems for e.g. patient records and data collection.
• Uses general skills and makes straightforward judgements to enhance the service offered to women and their families across a range of aspects of maternity service delivery, under the close supervision of a registrant.
• Perform simple audits and surveys relevant to their area of work.
• Demonstrate self-directed development to ensure they practise in accordance with established protocols and standard operating procedures under close, but not continuous, supervision.
• Recognise the importance of positioning women and families at the centre of care. Within the scope of their role, they recognise their limitations and present them in a credible and competent manner.
• Act in a manner to consistently support equality and diversity in all interactions.
• Have a responsibility to ensure all information processed for patients and staff is kept confidential, accurate and in line with the data protection act 1998 and Caldecott principles.
• Undertake routine observations (temperature, pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate etc.)
• Support families in their care for newborn infants; undertake weighing and measurements, feeding support and newborn blood spot (PKU)
• Maintain excellent communication and documentation. Listen and respond sensitively to concerns raised by families, and escalate concerns raised to the midwife
• Provide general clerical assistance as required e.g. preparation of clinics and notes and ordering stock, answering emails
Requirements
You must already have completed your NVQ 2 or equivalent or NVQ 3 or equivalent or be working toward this. As well as having a good standard of education in relation to English and Numeracy and have previous experience in a Maternity healthcare assistant role.
You must be motivated and enthusiastic to extend the maternity care assistant role to enable you to support midwives with enhanced clinical competencies such as Venepuncture, Cannulation, Neonatal examinations, infant feeding advice/support and health promotion, and antenatal classes.
You will be given the necessary training to perform these tasks and they must be completed and be competent in all areas within 6 months of commencement in the post.
If you are ready for a challenge and want to enhance your skills to enable you to work more independently as a valued member of the maternity services team, please apply.
PLEASE NOTE
• A valid driving licence and access to a car is essential if you wish to be considered for a Community post. Should you not meet this requirement due to a disability, you are of course able to apply and a discussion regarding whether reasonable adjustments could be made to the role would take place before any offer is confirmed.
Must be flexible to the service needs as the service changes and develops; and you may in times of pressure be asked to move to other areas to support the clinical teams.
This advert closes on Wednesday 26 Feb 2025