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Job overview

Staff Bank Midwife Band 6

If you thrive in an energetic environment, which is rich in culture and diversity, then please consider the next stage of your career to be working at St George's. With us you will gain experience from working in a major tertiary referral unit with many opportunities for further training and experience.

St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in Tooting, South London, is a large teaching hospital and tertiary referral centre with our maternity unit providing care to over 5000 women each year.

We take great pride in promoting midwifery by delivering holistic woman-centred care to our diverse local community. The enthusiastic midwifery and obstetric teams closely work together with an embedded MDT culture to meet the specific and individual needs of women who come from a wide range of social and cultural backgrounds.

We strive to normalise the pregnancy and birth experience for women with both high and low risk pregnancies, excelling in the provision of high risk care for women who need it. We promote normality and are actively increasing our homebirth rate and the option of giving birth in our midwife-led unit through working towards a continuity of carer model. 

Main duties of the job

• Undertake the full role of the midwife 

• To act as an advocate for women and babies receiving care.

• Undertake care of mothers and babies throughout pregnancy, delivery and during the postnatal period within the hospital. 

• Facilitate and continually assess, implement and evaluate all midwifery care, in line with current evidence, unit policies and guidelines, and the NMC Midwives Rules and Code of Practice.

• In conjunction with the midwifery coordinator and midwifery management team develop the ward/department/community philosophy and models of care to ensure that all policies and procedures are implemented to deliver evidenced based woman centred midwifery care.

• Have undertaken and successfully completed the Preceptee Booklet/ Portfolio.

• Be skilled in undertaking IV drug administration, cannulation, perineal suturing and topping up of Epidurals.

• Be skilled in undertaking, or willing to develop, skills required to safely and competently undertake a home birth

• Provide support and advice following miscarriage, termination, stillbirth, neonatal abnormality and neonatal death.

• Ensure the safe care and custody of drugs in accordance with the hospital policy and the Midwives Rules and Code of Practice.

• Be confident and competent in dealing with obstetric emergencies in hospital and community setting as appropriate such as shoulder dystocia, post partum haemorrhage, neonatal resuscitation, maternal resuscitation and unexpected breech birth.

• Ensure that accurate, clear, contemporaneous, legible records are kept with evidence of assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of care. Monitor standards and take corrective action as appropriate reporting to the midwifery coordinator/ lead midwife.

• Ensure due regard is given to needs, customs, values and spiritual beliefs of women and their families. Assess the needs of women and their families and friends and deal with them sensitively.

• Responsible for the protection and safe guarding of children, with an awareness of child protection procedures, and who to contact within the Trust for further help and guidance.

• Have an understanding of the guidelines relating to mental health issues and the referral process.

• Have involvement in the care of women and their families following bereavement giving appropriate and sensitive emotional support.

Staff Management & Leadership

• Practice in accordance with trust values and behaviours

• Ensure team practice in accordance with trust values and behaviours.

• To be a safe and effective clinical role model for all aspects of midwifery care, acting in a sensitive and non-judgmental manner.

• Facilitate a friendly happy working environment for both staff and women in the Hospital/Community setting.

• Maintain efficient multi-disciplinary communication systems within the area of responsibility, reporting to the midwifery coordinator.

• Communicate effectively when working with other multidisciplinary team members to promote excellent care and informed clinical decisions.

• Contribute to and encourage patient and public involvement at a local level.

• Monitor and evaluate standards of care and undertake the regular performance review of staff (IPRs) including providing training opportunities, setting clear and achievable objectives appropriate to the grade.

• In the absence of the midwifery coordinator, effectively deploy staff to meet both the needs of women and their families in accordance with Improving Working Lives guidance, informing managers/lead midwife deficiencies or shortages, when unable to resolve after first attempts.

• Supervise, delegate and co-ordinate the professional work of midwifery and other staff members within the team, acting up for the midwifery coordinator in their absence.

• Work with the midwife coordinator, lead midwives and human resources to participate in the recruitment and selection of midwifery staff where appropriate, and proactively seek ways to increase staff retention.

• Participate in departmental team meetings and other committees, and act as a representative when necessary.

Working for our organisation

Welcome to St George's University Hospitals Foundation NHS Trust Staff Bank where we pride ourselves on providing high quality temporary staffing cover to our wards and departments. We set ourselves high standards and look after patients; as we would like to be looked after ourselves.

We have also launched the South West London collaborative Bank and as a St Georges Bank worker, you will also have the opportunity of signing up to work across the Trusts within SW London.

We appreciate that it is not always possible to commit to a regular permanent position and that temporary work via our Staff Bank can allow for greater flexibility in your work life balance.

We are currently looking for Registered Nurses to join us here at our nationally recognised Healthcare Trust; you should have at least 6 months experience in an NHS organisation as an RN.

It is also important that you are fully prepared to embody the Trusts values of:
- Excellence
- Kindness
- Responsible
- Respectful

You will benefit from
- Flexible working arrangements
- Experience in a vast range of specialities
- Training and support
- Annual leave entitlement