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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Strong Midwifery Practice
•    Act as a role model for midwives by practising midwifery skills to the highest standard, increasing your level of clinical autonomy with its associated level of responsibility through the development of knowledge, competence and analytical and judgment skills.
•    Maintain a time commitment of 50% to practice with the emphasis on optimising physiology where safe, through personalised care across the intrapartum area, maintaining clinical excellence within the maternity service.
•    Work collaboratively with the Consultant Midwife and Obstetricians to plan, deliver and evaluate care for birthing women and people with complex health and wellbeing needs.  As your competence develops you will take greater responsibility for the care and management of birthing women/people with increasingly complex psychological and/or social needs
•    Support the system of referral, consultation and care planning for birthing women and people with complex needs who may be declining recommended options for care.
•    Develop the ability to use knowledge and skills of the highest order to inform practice decisions, particularly where precedents do not exist, with support where required.
•    Inspire and support midwives to realise their full potential as autonomous practitioners within the multi-disciplinary team, supporting physiology whilst being able to recognise and act on any deviation appropriately or on women/birthing people’s preferences.
•    Develop the confidence to lead midwives to build their confidence in evidence-based practice in order to empower them to challenge and so change practice while continuing to develop your own knowledge and expertise.

Professional Leadership and Consultancy 
•    Support the Consultant Midwife and maintain a highly visible presence.
•    Inspire colleagues to improve standards and quality of care and to develop their professional practice.
•    Work collaboratively with the Consultant Midwife, Director of Midwifery and Head of Midwifery supporting the development and implementation of a maternity strategy that promotes midwifery led care and supports the concept of continuity and personalisation.
•    Develop the skills to act as a catalyst for change, influencing development of policy, practice and staff in the delivery of midwifery care to women, birthing people and families.
•    Work collaboratively with the maternity management team to develop professional practice locally to meet the needs of the local population and support the strategic direction of the service.
•    Support the provision of expert midwifery advice to the Divisional meetings and to the Trust Board as and when required or requested regarding Midwifery.
•    To be aware of and actively contribute to Clinical Governance and Clinical Effectiveness issues relating to midwifery.  
•    Take part as a senior member of the team ensuring midwifery input into strategic and operational decisions and be part of the senior midwife on-call rota.
•    Act as an ambassador for the Trust representing it internally and externally with support.
•    Support the Consultant Midwife when in an advisory capacity on national initiatives to improve midwifery practice, for example maternal death review panels, NICE guideline development.

Education, Training and Development
•    Will be responsible for the day to day line management of the Practice Development Team and Clinical Preceptor Support Midwife.
•    To have oversight of but not direct line management responsibility of the Band 4 MSW Educator role.
•    To continue own academic development by undertaking further relevant study to maintain an extensive and contemporary knowledge of midwifery, with an emphasis on midwifery and current practice.
•    Play a key role in professional development through the identification of learning needs across the organisation, working closely with the Consultant Midwife, Director of Midwifery, Head of Midwifery, University Link Lecturers and Practice Development Team.
•    Participate in the development, planning and implementation of the education and development programmes that meet the needs of midwives to address the national and local agenda.
•    Develop the confidence to provide key lectures to students and graduates at the HEI and be instrumental in the development and delivery of inter-professional learning.
•    Contribute to a supportive learning environment for students and qualified staff and to the recruitment and retention of competent, confident and motivated staff.

Practice and Service Development, Research and Evaluation
•    Work with the Consultant Midwife, Director of Midwifery and Head of Midwifery to take forward and evaluate direction, policies, and strategies.
•    Carry out research and development work, working collaboratively with the Trust Research and Development Team.
•    Responsible for coordinating and supporting with current research initiatives within the maternity services, working collaboratively with the Trust Research and Development Team, and the wider MDT.
•    Support the continuing development of personalised and safe models of care and the drive for continuity models, aimed primarily at those birthing women and people who experience the poorest outcomes in maternity. 
•    Promote and be involved in midwifery-based audit/research within the maternity service.
•    Plan, develop and evaluate methods and processes for gathering, analysing, interpreting and presenting data and information on the maternity agenda.
•    Support the development, implementation and evaluation of midwifery led guidelines and play a key role in the Divisional Clinical Effectiveness group.

Other Duties
•    Undertake any other duties requested as appropriate to the banding of the post.
•    Engender a culture of respectful relationships and cultural safety.
•    Conduct oneself in accordance with NMC Code of Professional Conduct and Trust policies.
•    Take responsibility for self-development through the appraisal system and complete agreed personal development plan.
•    Participate in the Trusts clinical governance programme.
•    Participate in the Unit on call rota

Communication
    Ensure all communication, which may be complex, contentious or sensitive, is undertaken in a responsive and inclusive manner, focusing on improvement and ways to move forward.
    Ensure all communication is presented appropriately to the different recipients, according to levels of understanding, type of communication being imparted and possible barriers such as language, culture, understanding or physical or mental health conditions.