Labour Suite Coordinator/Bleep Holder

The maternity service at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is evolving. Currently responsible for the care of approximately 2300 births each year, the service offers choice of care pathway, lead professional and place of birth to women primarily living in the Bury St Edmunds, Newmarket, Thetford, Sudbury, Haverhill and surrounding areas. Current changes and improvements are being made to the midwifery service and with significant investment and support from the Trust Board. We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated Labour Suite Coordinator/Bleep Holder.
We are proud to be able to offer the opportunity for an outstanding midwife to join our experienced and passionate team of coordinators. There are full/part time hours available on a Fixed Term/Secondment basis.
This is an exciting post that will significantly contribute and shape our future services and staff. We are looking for self-motivated, committed midwives that respond well to change and have experience of working in a fast-paced environment while demonstrating effective leadership and support skills for staff at all levels.
If you are a highly skilled in all aspects of intrapartum care and are determined to lead by example whilst modelling an approach that is compassionate and approachable, we would love to hear from you.
Interviews will be held on 4 th April 2024
The successful candidate should have a special interest in promoting safe, evidence-based care and be determined to strive for this.
The role will be to provide clinical expertise and will require the postholder to have excellent clinical, communication and interpersonal skills. As a coordinator you will be supporting junior staff in their development and will involve liaising with and escalating to with the wider MDT and senior management teams.
This is your chance to be part of a transforming organisation and we would be happy to informally talk with you about the role we have on offer. If you are interested, and what to know more, then please make contact with:
Gillian Hudson or Rebecca Lemesre, Senior Midwifery Matrons for Inpatients 01284 712799 or gillian.hudson@wsh.nhs.uk rebecca.lemesre@wsh.nhs.uk
#BeKnown at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. By us. By our patients. By our community
We are a busy, friendly, rural NHS Trust providing high-quality care and compassion to more than a quarter of a million people across west Suffolk. We care for, treat and support people in hospital, at home and in various community settings.
The West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds provides acute and secondary care services (emergency department, maternity and neonatal services, day surgery unit, eye treatment centre, Macmillan unit and children's ward). It has 500+ beds and is a partner teaching hospital of the University of Cambridge.
Adult and paediatric community services, provided in collaboration with West Suffolk Alliance partners, include a range of nursing, therapy, specialist, and ongoing temporary care and rehabilitation, some at our Newmarket Community Hospital.
We do our utmost to achieve outstanding clinical outcomes for patients and our values of fairness, inclusivity, respect, safety and team work guide how we work and behave as a team.
With nearly 5,000 staff, from all over the world, we strive to make our organisation a great place to work. Whatever your role or ambition, we want to help you be the best you can be.
We promote a diverse and inclusive community where everyones voice counts and you can #BeKnown for whoever you are.
Join us. What will you #BeKnown for?
Dimensions
The midwife works as part of the multidisciplinary team, liaising with professionals who impact on the care and management of clients, creating and maintaining a positive learning environment in order to maximise the full potential of staff.
Knowledge, Skills and Experience Required
It is anticipated that the post holder will have effective visionary leadership and sufficient experience as would be necessary to underpin changing practice. The post holder will be expected to rotate throughout the Unit, including night duty as deemed necessary to provide an integrated maternity service and to ensure competence in all areas of midwifery practice (Rule 40).
Management Responsibility
Provide effective clinical leadership and support to all midwives and students.
Continued responsibility for providing professional leadership to the team. The co‑ordination and development of team activities in the hospital setting to ensure the delivery of a cost-effective, efficient and quality service.
Robust understanding of the escalation policy.
Be innovative in introducing quality approach to service provision by setting, implementing, monitoring and evaluating standards of care.
Ensure optimal use is made of available resources to provide appropriate and effective cover over a 24‑hour period. To ensure the appropriate skill mix at all times within the available resources. Also to ensure safe level of care is provided by appropriate skill mix and deployment of staff. The post holder will be expected to hold the senior midwife bleep.
Ensure shift by shift oversight of maternity staffing and activity.
Ensuring operational activity tool is completed as required.
Maximise the flow of women through the service by anticipating demand and supporting clinically as needed whilst holding the senior midwife bleep.
Creating an environment whereby effective learning can take place.
Participate in the selection process for new staff and student midwives. Plan and initiate induction and orientation programmes, which integrate newly qualified and new members of staff.
Undertake annual appraisal of junior midwives, build personal development plans with midwives and empower midwives to achieve their objectives by providing ongoing support and expert leadership.
Be responsible for the operational management of personnel issues such as the management of sickness absence, including interviewing staff following each episode of sickness, and take appropriate action in line with Trust policy.
Report complaints and untoward incidents to the midwifery managers, investigate as necessary and be proactive in preventing further incidents.
Ensure effective and efficient use of all resources. Be aware of budgetary responsibilities and ensure adequate systems are in place for maintenance of equipment and resources.
Take responsibility for communicating to and leading staff in meeting new Trust or national initiatives.
Clinical Responsibility
Be an expert in normal and high-risk midwifery and act as a resource by providing support and development opportunities for staff and students.
Undertake the role of the Labour Suite Co-ordinator proficiently, with professionalism and calmness, whilst maintaining situational awareness and a supernumerary status at all times.
Carry continuing responsibility for the assessment of individual care needs and provide leadership in promoting midwifery-led care and normal birth.
Ensure that midwifery practice is in keeping with current research and appropriate for the individual woman and participate in the development of implementation of research-based midwifery practice.
Liaise with the Practice Development Midwife and Managers and work together on new staff initiatives.
Be actively involved in the clinical governance agenda in initiating and participate in midwifery and medical audit, taking a lead role in subsequent change process.
Promote team building and maintain cohesion within clinical areas to establish a positive working environment and promote and support autonomous practice.
Maintenance of a twenty-four-hour maternity service for women and participate in on-call commitments as required.
As part of the bleep holder role there is the expectation to work clinically as required, foremost undertaking the triage role of women in all areas.
Professional Responsibility
Work within the statutory framework governing midwifery practice. Act as a role model by providing strong leadership and maintaining a high standard of professional expertise and conduct.
Be proactive in conducting audit and participate in the development, monitoring and audit of standards of care
Lead on Quality Improvement projects.
Active participation in service improvement strategies.
Ensure care given to women and their families is in keeping with agreed local policies and with due regard to the NMC Code.
Maintain accurate, legible and contemporary records in accordance with NMC Code, ensuring all staff understand their accountability.
Follow NMC guidance on professional Duty of Candour.
Be conversant with child protection procedure. Participate in planning meetings, conferences and pre-birth assessment. To attend supervision sessions on safeguarding children.
Maintain and develop own professional competence and be responsible for own statutory requirements.
Maintain and develop own clinical skills to provide quality care and lead the team, giving training and support.
Ensure cohesion within the team by regular dissemination of information on developments in Directorate activities.
Act as host to women and visitors using the service and raise positively the public profile of the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust.
Educational Responsibility
Supervise and support the development of less experienced staff within the clinical areas to provide supervision and facilitate opportunities for practical and theoretical educational development.
To provide mentorship and preceptorship to midwives and students in a supportive environment for learning and development.
Provide suitable learning environment for all learners and engage in clinical teaching to ensure all learning needs are met.
Act as a link with educationalists to ensure students’ needs are met and take responsibility for co‑ordinating student allocation.
Personnel Responsibility
Continually demonstrate evidence of developing clinical and managerial knowledge and expertise.
Ensure all staff are acquainted with current legislation and are familiar with local policies and personnel procedures.
Be responsible for Health, Safety and the welfare of staff, clients, and the public.
Be responsible for action to be taken in event of fire, child abduction and major accident, ensuring that junior staff are updated in these procedures.
Follow NMC guidance on the use of social media.
This job profile is not a definitive or exhaustive list of responsibilities, but identifies the key responsibilities and tasks of the post-holder. The specific objectives of the post-holder will be subject to review as part of the Appraisal and Development Plan process.
NB
In this job description the terms woman, women and woman-centred care are used, however these terms encompass all women and pregnant / birthing people