Main area Nursing and Midwifery Grade NHS AfC: Band 8b Contract Permanent Hours Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Oncall commitment on senior management roster) Job ref 293-SWNS-0439
Employer Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Homerton University Hospital/Acute Town London Salary £70,387 - £80,465 per annum Salary period Yearly Closing 09/03/2025 23:59
NHS AfC: Band 8b
Advert
Job overview
We are looking for an exceptional midwife for the position of Consultant Midwife to join the team on our journey towards excellence!
You will lead on initiatives and develop strategies to promote and facilitate childbirth in all clinical settings. As an expert midwife you will have extensive theoretical and practical knowledge and experience of the clinical skills needed within a modern maternity setting across all aspects of the pregnancy, birth and postnatal care continuum.
Main duties of the job
You will be expected to facilitate the advancement of choice and equality across the care continuum through teaching, research and clinical practice. You will act as the clinical midwifery expert in all clinical settings with compassion, dignity and respect, placing value on the diversity of the local community and beyond. This will be achieved through being clinically visible, accessible and vigilant.
You will provide multidisciplinary clinical staff with the support to effectively promote choice for pregnancy, birth and postnatal care in all clinical settings, and will ensure there is an appropriate learning environment and evaluation of care.
You will undertake these functions under the line management of the Director of Midwifery, working in conjunction with the Clinical Lead for Obstetrics and the Divisional Operations Director. The post holder will drive forward the three-year single delivery plan (Maternity Transformation) agenda, supporting the implementation of all aspects of this programme within the maternity service at Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
The post holder will act as first line management for the Maternity and Neonatal Patient Experience Lead Midwife and Lead Professional Midwifery Advocate.
Working for our organisation
We are located in one of the most diverse areas of the world a short distance away from Central London to the east of the City of London. Hackney is a vibrant borough in London, with great diversity and opportunity which is reflected across the Trust. It is our diversity, and our sense of community, which makes Homerton such a special place to work.
The Maternity service is currently rated “Good”. We have earned the Healthy Workplace Charter 'Excellence' rating aiming for delivering an outstanding recruitment service to achieve quality patient care; recruiting the best people with the right values through a fair and transparent process.
At Homerton our workforce is multicultural, and we are committed to providing a service personal to each of our diverse range of patients. Our staff share our core values of Personal, Respect, Responsibility and Safe.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The Consultant Midwife post will be identified by four principal functions:
1. A professional leadership and consultancy function
2. An education, training and development function.
3. A practice and service development, research and evaluation function
The above must be delivered with recognition that a percentage of this job has a clinical component.
The Consultant Midwife will:
1. Lead on initiatives and develop strategies to promote and facilitate choice across the maternity care continuum to improve the quality of clinical care.
2. Provide multidisciplinary clinical staff with the support to effectively deliver the maternity strategy through this care continuum.
3. Develop networks and links with provider services to ensure maintenance of the continuum for the person who births.
Communication
1. Manage and respond to complaints and adverse incidents. Provide expert support in review of serious cases and ensure action plans are adhered to in liaison with the governance team.
2. Provide expert opinion for external organisations regarding Midwifery Practice.
3. Interpret and analyse complex clinical and non-clinical facts, to regularly provide expert advice and second opinion to health care professionals, including when views may differ or conflict.
4. Be responsible for the maintenance of accurate written records.
5. Ensure that appropriate, consistent and realistic information is provided to people who birth and their families.
6. Establish and maintain effective communication with people, relatives and staff to contribute to the active resolution of potentially complex situations, conflicts and issues.
Service Delivery and Improvement
1. Participate in investigations into patient safety incidents under PSIRF framework, including after action review (AAR), MDT review etc., developing SMART action plans, ensuring that this leads to change in practice.
2. Represent the Trust at local and national forums promoting achievements in care.
3. Utilise advanced clinical reasoning skills and evidence-based knowledge in the promotion of choice and to be clinically competent to utilise expert skills and knowledge in a variety of clinical settings.
4. Develop, establish and implement guidelines and midwife-led initiatives.
5. Make independent clinical decisions and initiate investigations, care/treatment and technological intervention.
6. Work in close partnership with appropriate Clinical Leads and Service Managers to ensure all local, corporate and national initiatives and targets are met.
7. Where appropriate, support the Clinical Directorate as agreed with the Director of Midwifery and Lead for Neonatal Nursing.
8. To ensure appropriate public and user involvement in assessing service quality and improvements.
9. Create, develop and implement guidelines and protocols of care in partnership with colleagues and local/national/international agencies.
10. Contribute to and influence the national policy agenda.
11. Initiate and respond to user feedback by ongoing evaluation and identification of emerging trends within the provision of services, leading development and redesign on a local, national and international level.
12. Facilitate the integration of research into best practice.
13. Inform and influence local management teams to ensure that the service responds to relevant national initiatives (e.g. NICE, NSF).
14. Be a member of the Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership, participating in scheduled meetings.
15. Contribute to the business planning process in service, initiating bids for resources where appropriate.
People Management and Development
1. On behalf of the Director of Midwifery and Lead for Neonatal Nursing and the Deputy Director of Midwifery, conduct assessment and action planning for alignment with the maternity strategy and transformation work streams and the LMNS.
2. Have a key role in clinical teaching and staff development of peers, other health professionals within the clinical area, across the trust and outside the organisation.
3. Develop formal links through partnerships with local universities and relevant professional bodies.
4. Participate in workforce planning to meet service development and policy change.
5. Be a visible leader who is accessible to women, their partners and families, visitors and staff.
6. Participate in the Midwifery Management on-call rota.
7. The post holder is accountable for their own practice and should take every reasonable opportunity to sustain and improve their knowledge and professional competence.
Patient Care Delivery
1. Act as an expert practitioner demonstrating advanced knowledge and skill beyond that associated with traditional midwifery roles, including the integration of research evidence into practice by expert clinical reasoning and decision-making.
2. As an acknowledged expert in choice during pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period, the consultant midwife will be the lead clinician responsible for the care and management of defined group/groups of women requiring specific support in collaboration with other clinicians.
Learning and Development
1. Initiate new programmes of education and training, to facilitate changes in practice.
2. Work with clinical leads to establish the learning needs of staff groups.
3. Provide learning opportunities for midwives and other health care professionals via mentorship and supervision. This includes providing inter-professional support for staff of all disciplines.
4. In collaboration with academic institutes and education consortia, contribute to the developments in the curricula.
5. Keep up to date with current research and evidence-based practice by attending relevant meetings, courses and seminars. Responsible for sharing knowledge with other professionals and team to influence better care and outcomes.
6. Undertake training as necessary in line with the development of the post and as agreed with the line manager as part of the personal development process.
7. Achieve and demonstrate agreed standards of personal and professional development within agreed timescales.
8. Participate in the Trust’s appraisal process to discuss how your role will help deliver the best possible care to our patients and help to deliver any changes in service.
Audit and Research
1. In partnership with the Consultants and other colleagues be responsible for the development and implementation of clinical guidelines, policies and procedures pertaining to midwifery practice and maternity care. Implement recommendations from Government and professional bodies in relation to professional care.
2. Be responsible for developing own skills and knowledge and contribute to the development of others.
3. In line with the Trust’s commitment to Clinical Governance, develop, lead and implement standards for clinical audit and evaluate clinical effectiveness.
4. Provide education and research nationally and internationally by lecturing and through journal publications.
5. Inform and contribute to the Trust’s Research and Development strategy and lead in the development and preparation of relevant research proposals to attract both internal and external grants.
6. Initiate midwifery R&D programmes that have an impact on Trust R&D objectives.
7. Analyse, appraise and act upon contemporary research evidence.
8. Monitor the level and standard of work undertaken by managed staff (as allocated) and to guide, coach and advise them as appropriate.
9. Providing or signposting suitable development opportunities and evaluating development actions in accordance with the Trust’s appraisal and training procedures.
Person specification
Education/Qualification
1. Qualifications Registered Midwife
2. Recognised teaching and assessing qualification
3. Masters Degree in relevant subject or equivalent level of experience and knowledge
4. Evidence of continued professional development-reviewing current practice and research developments within specialist area and application to clinical practice.
5. Leadership or Management training course
6. M Phil/PhD or willingness to undertake
7. Evidence of publications, conference presentations
Experience
1. A significantly experienced practitioner with a minimum of 5 years recent post registration experience – minimum 3 years at Band 7 or equivalent.
2. Able to demonstrate a range of midwifery experience
3. Proven track record and have demonstrable formal research expertise, knowledge and skills.
4. Proven track record of audit experience
5. Proven track record in change management/Quality Improvement methodology
6. Proven track record of project management / leadership
7. Proven track record in practice development
8. Experience of multi-agency / committee work outside of clinical activities
9. Previous experience of student / staff supervision and clinical education at undergraduate level
10. Previous experience of student supervision and clinical education at postgraduate and Masters level
11. Experience of joint working with academic institutions ensuring the development of research programmes within the workplace.
12. Robust understanding of all aspects of Clinical Governance including previous experience of quality issues, audit and risk management
13. Proven track record of advocacy for women / consumer involvement
14. Able to demonstrate work published
Skills/Knowledge/Abilities
1. Advanced expert level of knowledge of midwifery and in normalising pregnancy, birth and postnatal care.
2. Proven Competency in Suturing, Cannulation/IV administration, Epidurals, Water Birth; Adult & Neonatal Resuscitation
3. Excellent inter-personal and communication skills with good listening skills and an ability to work with a wide range of professions.
4. Able to disseminate information in both written format and in public speaking forum.
5. Ability to collaborate constructively with internal and external partners to create the conditions for successful partnership working.
6. Experience of managing conflict and difficult situations and knowledge of a wide range of problem solving techniques.
7. Strong written communication skills including report writing and presentation of information.
8. Advanced theoretical and practical knowledge of a wide range of approaches to the provision of care, demonstrated by advanced clinical reasoning.
9. Proven ability to analyse complex problems and to develop and successfully implement practical and workable solutions to address them.
10. Demonstrate involvement with innovative practice developments and demonstrate evidence of significant achievements gained.
11. Ability to think and plan strategically, tactically and creatively, and to prioritise work programs in the face of competing demands.
12. Ability to be flexible and to look beyond existing structures, ways of working, boundaries and organisations to produce more effective and innovative service delivery and partnerships.
13. A commitment to improving services through an ability to sustain a clear performance focus on achieving demanding goals.
14. Able to demonstrate a broad but in-depth knowledge of health policy in relation to midwifery practice.
15. Actively involved in professional groups and forums.
16. Experience of public speaking.
17. To be able to understand financial budgets and to assist the senior team when formulating strategy to have clear sight of the financial implications.
People Management and Development
1. Ability to network across the organisation.
2. Experience of facilitating change by collaborating with stakeholders within specialist area, across other professions and both intra and inter organisationally to produce innovative practice and service development showing improved patient outcomes.
3. A strong sense of personal and team accountability coupled with a clear understanding of the boundaries around delegated authority.
4. Well-developed leadership and influencing skills with the ability to enthuse, motivate and involve individuals and teams, and have them understand the Trust’s and your performance expectations.
Other attributes
1. Good keyboard and IT skills including knowledge of Microsoft Office – Word, Excel and Outlook.
2. Able to formulate complex plans and strategies and articulate them in a professional manner online or in multiple formats.
3. Able to manage own time / workload and guide others priorities workloads.
4. Able to articulate vision for maternity services.
5. Knowledge and understanding of the Consultant Midwife role and where it fits in the organisation.
General Guidance for Applicants
Please ensure that you read the "Guidance Notes On Submitting An Application" under "Additional Documentation" before completing your application.
Please note: we reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once a sufficient number of applications have been received.
We are committed to achieving equality and inclusion at Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, and we respect and value the diversity and differences of our patients and our people, ensuring everyone is enabled to thrive, feels a sense of belonging, and is able to be their authentic self. We offer a range of flexible working options that enable you to balance your work and personal life, including part-time, compressed hours, remote working and job-shares.
If you are interested in joining our team, please let us know your preferred working pattern in your application, and we will consider all requests for flexible working and try to accommodate them wherever possible.
Please note that secondment arrangements will be considered for any fixed term positions, with the agreement of the existing line manager.
We are committed to equal opportunities, and have been approved as a Disability Confident Employer.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
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