Job summary This is an exciting opportunity for a highly motivated specialist midwife to join the newly developed West Yorkshire Paths (maternal mental health service) and support the delivery of the priorities set out in the NHS Long Term Plan. The post will be hosted by SWYPFT on behalf of the West Yorkshire ICS. West Yorkshire Paths provide support to women and birthing parents experiencing moderate to severe or complex mental health difficulties as a result of birth trauma, fear of birth itself (tokophobia), and baby loss (including loss through removal into social care). The specialist midwife will contribute to the effective delivery of the service, their key role will be to deliver care for service users and families with birth trauma and baby loss. The post holder will have the opportunity to work closely with maternity services, and perinatal mental health teams to help influence trauma informed working across West Yorkshire perinatal services. The specialist midwife will demonstrate a high level of expertise within the specialist service providing advice, education and support to staff, patients, their families, and carers. All employees of the Trust are strongly encouraged to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect patients. For full job description, please see attached supporting documents. Main duties of the job We are seeking to recruit enthusiastic candidates, who are professional and approachable and able to build positive working relationships within the West Yorkshire Paths team and with partners across the West Yorkshire ICS. The specialist midwife will contribute to mental health triage, screening, signposting, and providing support and psychological wellbeing interventions as needed. The post holder will work closely with psychological professionals within Paths to provide an overall package of care There will also be a focus on reducing health inequalities, inclusion and engagement of seldom heard communities to break down barriers in access to the service and outreach work to engage communities. Agile working will be required with travel mainly local to Leeds with occasional travel across the West Yorkshire footprint on an ad-hoc basis to help manage capacity and demand and help reduce barriers to accessing the service. The service operates Monday-Friday; 9.00am-5.00pm however successful applicants would be expected to have the flexibility to work occasional extended hours to facilitate service effectiveness. Part-time and flexible working hours will be considered. At the time of advertising, this role does meet the minimum requirements set by UK Visas and Immigration to sponsor candidates to work in the UK. We look forward to receiving your application. About us We are a specialist NHS Foundation Trust that provides community, mental health and learning disability services for the people of Barnsley, Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield. We also provide low and medium secure services and are the lead for the west Yorkshire secure provider collaborative. Our mission is to help people reach their potential and live well in their communities, we do this by providing high-quality care in the right place at the right time. We employ staff in both clinical and non-clinical services who work hard to make a difference to the lives of service users, families and carers. We encourage and welcome applications from all protected characteristic groups, we value diversity and want our workforce to be reflective of our communities. Being a foundation Trust means were accountable to our members, who can have a say in how were run. Around 14,300 local people (including staff) are members of our Trust. Join us and you will be one of over 4,500 staff committed to supporting and improving the mental, physical and social needs of the thousands of people we meet and help each year. We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all colleagues and volunteers to share this commitment. We do reserve to right to close vacancy before the advertised closing date if necessary, so please apply as soon as possible. Date posted 20 March 2025 Pay scheme Agenda for change Band Band 7 Salary £46,148 to £52,809 a year Contract Permanent Working pattern Full-time, Flexible working Reference number C9378-W1259 Job locations Fox View Hub, 8 Fox View Staincliffe Dewsbury WF13 4AD Job description Job responsibilities The specialist midwife will contribute to the effective delivery of the West Yorkshire's Maternal Mental Health Service (MMHS) to address the psychological needs women and birthing people with moderate to severe mental health difficulties. Their key role will be to deliver care for service users and families with birth trauma and tokophobia and creating awareness among maternity and neonatal staff about the psychological impact. The role will also involve providing training to other professionals, supporting maternity and others services to develop tools and pathways that help to identify and refer patients within the inclusion criteria. The post holder will demonstrate a high level of expertise within the specialist service providing advice, education and support to staff, patients, their families and carers. The specialist midwife must have skilled expertise primarily in the areas of perinatal mental health and trauma informed working. Their crucial responsibility is to maintain and develop exceptional standards of care for this specific group of people and their families. As a team member of the MMHS team, the specialist midwife will contribute to mental health triage, screening, signposting, and providing support and psychological interventions as needed. Their role is to ensure that people who have experienced birth trauma or fear of birth due to previous life trauma and have mental health difficulties receive appropriate support. They will work closely with maternity colleagues, as well as other services such as the Perinatal Community Mental Health Team, Primary Care, and relevant external and specialist third sector agencies, as required. The post holder will support new ways of working that emphasises a more efficient and patient focused service, and will ensure the safe treatment, referral and discharge of patients. Working closely with maternity and mental health the specialist midwife will take a strategic role in their local area to ensure clear integrated pathways of care are reviewed and provide affective and timely access to the service. Responsibility for maintaining the on-going development of clinical practice and standards of care within the service. Develop procedures and guidelines in collaboration with multidisciplinary colleagues. There will also be a focus on inclusion and engagement of seldom heard communities to break down barriers in access to the service and outreach work to engage communities. About the service: We offer a service for moderate to severe or complex mental health difficulties with a significant association with a trauma or loss in the maternity/perinatal/neonatal context and falling through the gaps of existing service provision. The service provides specialist trauma informed birth reflections and targeted psychological interventions to address severe and complex reproductive trauma. We aim to prevent long term complications for family health and relationships. Our focused support can help women and birthing parents to overcome negative experiences, reduce the increase risk of postnatal depression, anxiety and enhance mother-infant bonding. We aim to improve screening to provide prompt referral into our service. Offering specialist midwifery and psychological support aimed at preventing further trauma and minimising harm. Through clear and collaborative care planning with maternity services, we strive to empower individuals to have a more positive birth experience. The postholder will: Provide highly skilled trauma informed practice and care planning. High quality understanding of trauma informed working in maternity and mental health. Facilitate trauma informed training for multi-disciplinary teams. Assist and guide people in the identified group, and their families, in accessing suitable and timely support. This may involve creating individual care plans and referring them to relevant specialist services, as needed. Advocating for women and birthing people to ensure they receive the specialist care they require. Building trusting relationship and identify risks and concerns. Liaise with other services and partner agencies to ensure that people who have experienced trauma are receiving the most appropriate care and support families with the negative affects of maternal mental health needs. Serve as a liaison between maternity and mental health services to increase awareness, service delivery, and ultimately improve the satisfaction and wellbeing of both patients and staff. Bring people together to improve the quality, consistency and coordination of care. Responsible for providing excellent midwifery and trauma informed care to high-risk individuals as an autonomous practitioner. Raising awareness of perinatal mental health needs and tackling stigma. Triage referrals, plan, implement and evaluate care for women and birthing parents. Manage onward referrals and signposting. We are aware that an increasing number of applicants are using AI technology to generate responses on NHS Job application forms.Over reliance on AI-generated content in application forms is strongly discouraged and we will conduct a thorough screening process before selecting candidates to progress to the next stage. If you are using AI to enhance your application, please disclose this in your NHS Jobs application form. Job description Job responsibilities The specialist midwife will contribute to the effective delivery of the West Yorkshire's Maternal Mental Health Service (MMHS) to address the psychological needs women and birthing people with moderate to severe mental health difficulties. Their key role will be to deliver care for service users and families with birth trauma and tokophobia and creating awareness among maternity and neonatal staff about the psychological impact. The role will also involve providing training to other professionals, supporting maternity and others services to develop tools and pathways that help to identify and refer patients within the inclusion criteria. The post holder will demonstrate a high level of expertise within the specialist service providing advice, education and support to staff, patients, their families and carers. The specialist midwife must have skilled expertise primarily in the areas of perinatal mental health and trauma informed working. Their crucial responsibility is to maintain and develop exceptional standards of care for this specific group of people and their families. As a team member of the MMHS team, the specialist midwife will contribute to mental health triage, screening, signposting, and providing support and psychological interventions as needed. Their role is to ensure that people who have experienced birth trauma or fear of birth due to previous life trauma and have mental health difficulties receive appropriate support. They will work closely with maternity colleagues, as well as other services such as the Perinatal Community Mental Health Team, Primary Care, and relevant external and specialist third sector agencies, as required. The post holder will support new ways of working that emphasises a more efficient and patient focused service, and will ensure the safe treatment, referral and discharge of patients. Working closely with maternity and mental health the specialist midwife will take a strategic role in their local area to ensure clear integrated pathways of care are reviewed and provide affective and timely access to the service. Responsibility for maintaining the on-going development of clinical practice and standards of care within the service. Develop procedures and guidelines in collaboration with multidisciplinary colleagues. There will also be a focus on inclusion and engagement of seldom heard communities to break down barriers in access to the service and outreach work to engage communities. About the service: We offer a service for moderate to severe or complex mental health difficulties with a significant association with a trauma or loss in the maternity/perinatal/neonatal context and falling through the gaps of existing service provision. The service provides specialist trauma informed birth reflections and targeted psychological interventions to address severe and complex reproductive trauma. We aim to prevent long term complications for family health and relationships. Our focused support can help women and birthing parents to overcome negative experiences, reduce the increase risk of postnatal depression, anxiety and enhance mother-infant bonding. We aim to improve screening to provide prompt referral into our service. Offering specialist midwifery and psychological support aimed at preventing further trauma and minimising harm. Through clear and collaborative care planning with maternity services, we strive to empower individuals to have a more positive birth experience. The postholder will: Provide highly skilled trauma informed practice and care planning. High quality understanding of trauma informed working in maternity and mental health. Facilitate trauma informed training for multi-disciplinary teams. Assist and guide people in the identified group, and their families, in accessing suitable and timely support. This may involve creating individual care plans and referring them to relevant specialist services, as needed. Advocating for women and birthing people to ensure they receive the specialist care they require. Building trusting relationship and identify risks and concerns. Liaise with other services and partner agencies to ensure that people who have experienced trauma are receiving the most appropriate care and support families with the negative affects of maternal mental health needs. Serve as a liaison between maternity and mental health services to increase awareness, service delivery, and ultimately improve the satisfaction and wellbeing of both patients and staff. Bring people together to improve the quality, consistency and coordination of care. Responsible for providing excellent midwifery and trauma informed care to high-risk individuals as an autonomous practitioner. Raising awareness of perinatal mental health needs and tackling stigma. Triage referrals, plan, implement and evaluate care for women and birthing parents. Manage onward referrals and signposting. We are aware that an increasing number of applicants are using AI technology to generate responses on NHS Job application forms.Over reliance on AI-generated content in application forms is strongly discouraged and we will conduct a thorough screening process before selecting candidates to progress to the next stage. If you are using AI to enhance your application, please disclose this in your NHS Jobs application form. Person Specification Training Essential Enhanced training in Perinatal Mental Health e.g., post graduate diploma in perinatal mental health/Tavistock Perinatal Mental Health training or willing to undertake within the first 12 months in post. Personal Attributes Essential Ability to motivate and influence others. Excellent communication skills at a senior level. Ability to provide sensitive care related to mental health topics. Highly motivated and enthusiastic about positive change. Organisational and management skills. Time management skills. Understanding of equality and diversity and barriers to accessing care. Act as a role model for good practice. Ability to travel around sites in West Yorkshire. Sound clinical reasoning & decision making. Flexible. Presentation skills. Desirable Confident public speaking. Special Knowledge & Skills Essential An advanced knowledge of midwifery and perinatal mental health and trauma informed care. Developed working knowledge of the impact of poor mental health on service users, infants and other family members, and the role that maternity services can play in mitigating this. Understanding of trauma informed working and facilitated trauma informed training. Developed knowledge and understanding of current policy, legislation and research in midwifery and mental health. IT skills. Ability to interpret and apply best practice and promote its use with others. Demonstrate capability to plan and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly. Ability to work as an individual and as part of a team. Desirable Knowledge of the wider public health agenda. Clinical governance experience. Implementation of service design plans. Excellent approach to partnership working. Experience Essential Experience of working with families with Perinatal Mental Health needs. Development of pathways, guidelines, and practices. Audit and evaluation experience Experience of teaching / training. Desirable Facilitated perinatal mental health training. Previous band 7 experience. Development of staff. Service improvement and development. Physical Attributes Essential Ability to undertake the duties and demands of the post. Qualifications Essential Professional Midwifery Registration and degree in Midwifery, NMC pin. Post Graduate Qualification in specific speciality or equivalent experience. Desirable Leadership certification. Teaching / Training and mentoring qualification or equivalent experience. Person Specification Training Essential Enhanced training in Perinatal Mental Health e.g., post graduate diploma in perinatal mental health/Tavistock Perinatal Mental Health training or willing to undertake within the first 12 months in post. Personal Attributes Essential Ability to motivate and influence others. Excellent communication skills at a senior level. Ability to provide sensitive care related to mental health topics. Highly motivated and enthusiastic about positive change. Organisational and management skills. Time management skills. Understanding of equality and diversity and barriers to accessing care. Act as a role model for good practice. Ability to travel around sites in West Yorkshire. Sound clinical reasoning & decision making. Flexible. Presentation skills. Desirable Confident public speaking. Special Knowledge & Skills Essential An advanced knowledge of midwifery and perinatal mental health and trauma informed care. Developed working knowledge of the impact of poor mental health on service users, infants and other family members, and the role that maternity services can play in mitigating this. Understanding of trauma informed working and facilitated trauma informed training. Developed knowledge and understanding of current policy, legislation and research in midwifery and mental health. IT skills. Ability to interpret and apply best practice and promote its use with others. Demonstrate capability to plan and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly. Ability to work as an individual and as part of a team. Desirable Knowledge of the wider public health agenda. Clinical governance experience. Implementation of service design plans. Excellent approach to partnership working. Experience Essential Experience of working with families with Perinatal Mental Health needs. Development of pathways, guidelines, and practices. Audit and evaluation experience Experience of teaching / training. Desirable Facilitated perinatal mental health training. Previous band 7 experience. Development of staff. Service improvement and development. Physical Attributes Essential Ability to undertake the duties and demands of the post. Qualifications Essential Professional Midwifery Registration and degree in Midwifery, NMC pin. Post Graduate Qualification in specific speciality or equivalent experience. Desirable Leadership certification. Teaching / Training and mentoring qualification or equivalent experience. 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. 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. 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 South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Trust Address Fox View Hub, 8 Fox View Staincliffe Dewsbury WF13 4AD Employer's website https://www.southwestyorkshire.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)