We are excited to offer this maternal mental health specialist midwife role following a successful bid to provide the Essex Maternal Mental Health Service (MMHS).
By your side, the Essex Maternal Mental Health Service (MMHS) launched in October 2023 aims to integrate maternity and psychological therapy for women and birthing parents experiencing moderate to severe mental health difficulties related to their maternity experience of perinatal loss.
A fully therapeutic service is offered since June 2024 providing specialist care and support to those women and birthing parents who have experienced trauma and loss in the perinatal period and who are not eligible for specialist perinatal mental health services.
By Your Side aims to provide psychology support with the midwifery expertise for families accessing the 5 maternity units across Essex.
We are looking for a Maternal Mental Health Specialist Midwife who will work as the network and support each of our Maternity Units across Essex.
The successful candidates will be working at system and network level across Essex, reporting to the deputy head of midwifery and the Clinical lead.
The nominal base will be in West Essex (Harlow) for this post. Hybrid working of both face to face and online working is encouraged.
Main duties of the job
A key aspect of this role will be to liaise closely with maternity staff to raise awareness of the psychological impact of perinatal loss on women, their families, and also on staff, as well as to raise awareness of perinatal mental health more generally.
The specialist midwife will have a high level of relevant expert knowledge and skills, particularly in relation to mental health and loss. This is a key role in developing and maintaining high standards of care for this group of women and their families.
The specialist midwife will be a key member of the By Your Side, the Essex MMHS team, contributing to mental health triaging, screening, assessment, signposting, support and psychological informed interventions where appropriate. You will work with the multi-disciplinary team of psychological therapists.
The specialist midwife should be an expert in their field and will have a responsibility to ensure that all care delivered is within accordance of Trust policies and procedures. The specialist midwife will also participate in the design, development and evaluation of services for this group of women.
You will also interface with the wider maternity context, including the Perinatal Mental Health Service and the voluntary and charity sector provisions.
There will be regular one to one support from the Clinical Lead/Principal Practitioner Psychologist in addition to your midwifery supervision with the deputy head of midwifery/consultant midwife.
About us
EPUT are looking for motivated staff who share our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including:
* Season Ticket Loans
* NHS discounts for staff
* Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
* Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
* The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
* Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
* Day One Flexible Employer
The Trust supports and actively encourages flexible working for all employees. We offer many options and you are encouraged to ask the recruiting manager what is possible for this role. If appointed, you will have the opportunity to apply for a flexible working request from the first day of your employment.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description for full details of the main duties and responsibilities that the post holder is required to undertake.
Person Specification
Education/Qualifications
Essential
* Registered Midwife with valid NMC registration
* Evidence of ongoing professional development
Desirable
* Additional qualification in mental health or counselling
Experience
Essential
* Extensive experience as a clinical midwife in a variety of settings.
* Experience of providing midwifery care to women with perinatal mental health illnesses
* Evidence of management and leadership skills gained through theoretical knowledge and/or experience.
* Experience of mentoring, supporting, and developing staff
* Experience of working within an MDT environment.
* Experience of liaising and fostering good working relationships with providers of mental health services.
* Post training experience of complex safeguarding issues and training
* Experience of leading, facilitating and supporting group work
* Experience of dealing with confidential and sensitive information
Desirable
* Experience of working with perinatal trauma and grief
* Experience of working with moderate/severe mental health presentations
* Experience of engaging hard to reach populations
Knowledge/Skills
Essential
* Able to provide excellent person-centred care
* Ability to work as part of a multidisciplinary team
* Proficient IT skills
* Excellent communication skills
* Well-developed skills in the ability to communicate effectively, orally and in writing, complex, highly technical and/or clinically sensitive information to clients, their families, carers and other professional colleagues both within and outside the NHS
* Understands and overcomes barriers to communication and acceptance
* Ability to identify and solve problems
* Analyse, compare, and interpret complex information before making a judgement/decision.
* Ability to organise, prioritise and effectively manage workload.
* Knowledge of audit and evaluation processes
* Knowledge of safeguarding/child protection procedures
* Knowledge of quality governance
* Demonstrates excellent interpersonal and empowerment skills
* Commitment to ongoing learning for self and others within operational area
Desirable
* Ability to assess, develop, plan, implement and evaluate a program
* Experience of defining pathways
Personal Qualities
Essential
* Resilience to effectively manage own emotions in response to the emotional distress of others and support the team members in this process
* Demonstrates motivation and enthusiasm for specialty
* Flexible approach to working
* Ability to work autonomously
* Able to identify own stressors and take appropriate action to prevent negative impact of this on wellbeing and seek appropriate and timely support
* Ability to assess their environment and make decisions that will ensure their own safety and the safety of the service user
* Able to work across the locality area as requested by Line Manager
* Ability to travel independently across a defined geographical area
* Ensures that the organisational values of we care, we learn and we empower are demonstrated by self and others every day and that any matters of concern are addressed in a timely way, either directly or raised with the relevant Line Manager or through the relevant processes within the Trust as appropriate.
* Current driving licence
* Valid enhanced DBS clearance
Employer details
Employer name
Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Derwent Centre
Harlow
CM20 1QX
Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.
364-A-8024-A #J-18808-Ljbffr