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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The post holder will be responsible for the provision of autonomous, evidence-based, women-centred midwifery care, whilst working collaboratively with the multidisciplinary team, other agencies, representatives and service users.

The post holder will provide support to other midwives within the service and may be designated to take a management responsibility for the midwifery practice or team in the absence of the Band 7 Midwife.

The post holder may occasionally be required to be deployed outside of their normal work setting, depending on clinical risk management and service need.

MAIN DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Abide by the Midwives Rules, Midwives Code of Practice, Code of Professional Conduct and any other guidance by the Registering body

2. Implement and participate in the development of the King’s College Hospital NHS Trust/Women’s Services agreed procedures and policies.

3. To follow the King’s College Hospital NHS Trust Fire Regulations, Cardiac Arrest, Major Accident procedures.

4. Adhere to King’s procedures on the reporting of complaints, accidents, incidents and Notifiable Clinical Events.

5. Adhere to King’s procedures on the documentation, management and escalation of safe-guarding cases

6. Adhere to King’s College Hospital NHS Trust Behavioural Standards

7. To be conversant with King’s College NHS Trust’s current grievance and disciplinary procedures.

8. Follow midwifery/obstetric guidelines where appropriate and liaise with medical staff in the implementation of client care, reporting and recording any deviations from the protocols.

9. Maintain a safe working environment as laid down by the Health and Safety at Work Act.

10. Participate with relevant Trust initiatives involving compliance with clinical governance requirements in relation to local/national monitored standards and quality of care.

ADMINISTRATION

1. Responsible for the reporting and the proper maintenance of equipment.

2. Responsible at times for obtaining and the safekeeping of drugs as delegated.

3. Responsible for the collection of statistics and data regarding own midwifery practice and as required by the Care Group/Trust.

PERSONNEL

1. Responsible for day-to-day management including deployment of staff within sphere of responsibility in the absence of a Band 7 Midwife.

2. Participate in the orientation and development of new staff.

3. Participate in the appraisal of trained/untrained staff as appropriate.

4. Exercise a supervisory role in enabling midwives to practice safety, effectively and efficiently, paying regard to the changing needs and expectations of mothers and their families.

5. Demonstrate awareness of the individual needs of team members and give active support and guidance, where necessary.

6. Participate in Trust, Care Group and departmental meetings and in meetings related to the ongoing review and evaluations of the team/practice/core area.

7. Exercise compassionate counselling and information giving skills. Act in an advisory and guiding role in all aspects of professional and midwifery care.

CLINICAL

1. To meet the Clinical Governance agenda in all aspects of the delivery of care.

2. Assess the needs of mothers and babies within the defined clinical area and plan and implement individualised midwifery care that is women, child and family focused.

3. Facilitate the participation of the mother and her family in decision making

4. Organise, where appropriate, midwife to client allocation within the team. Supporting junior and trainee colleagues.

5. Ensure due regard is given to customs, values and spiritual beliefs of clients.

6. Ensure accurate contemporaneous records kept are in line with registering body, recommendation and that all entries and signatures must be legible and dated.

7. Ensure midwifery practice is researched and evidence based.

8. Demonstrate competence in all aspects of intrapartum and immediate postnatal midwifery care.

9. Be competent in labour ward care in cases where women require transfer of e.g. theatre, I/V drug administration, cannulation and topping up of epidurals, breast feeding support, homebirths / water births.

EDUCATIONAL

1. To have an ongoing knowledge of government policies, health and social policies related to women and their families.

2. Act as an effective role model.

3. Recognise issues relating to health education and take maximum advantage of teaching opportunities.

4. Share in structured education of learners and trained staff

5. Take responsibility for own educational needs in line with registering body requirements and maintain personal records of professional development.

6. Take maximum advantage of teaching opportunities and supervise students until they are competent to perform care unsupervised.

7. Facilitate the achievement of learning objectives identified by the midwifery education leads and particularly by the students themselves.

8. Identify and report any shortcomings in a student’s performance to the appropriate supervisor/link lecturer and assist the student to achieve a good standard of practice and involvement.

9. Write clear objective reports on student’s progress as soon as they finish their allocation to the team/practice/clinical area and liaise with lecturers, supervisors of midwives and consultants as required.

10. Liaise with other teaching staff where appropriate.