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Band 6 - Infant Feeding Midwife, Maternity

Employer
West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Location
Watford
Salary
£37,162 to £44,629 a year inc HCA
Closing date
25 May 2024
View more categoriesView less categories
Profession
Nurse, Midwife
Grade
Band 6
Contract Type
Permanent
Hours
Part Time
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a passionate and dedicated Midwife to join the Infant feeding team at West Herts.

The postholder will promote and support infant feeding practices within the maternity department at West Herts, adhering to the joint infant feeding policy of the trust. The primary responsibility is to ensure the complete implementation and maintenance of the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) standards, aiming for and preserving Gold Award status.

The postholder will be a recognised specialised professional with advanced knowledge in infant feeding and will serve as a valuable source of information and support for colleagues.

Main duties of the job

The role involves providing education and clinical supervision to assist staff in implementing evidence-based approaches to infant feeding and relationship building. Collaboration with the Infant Feeding team is essential to align with the government health promotion agenda and the NHS Long Term Plan vision for the Baby Friendly Initiative.

Establishing a visible presence in the clinical setting is crucial. The individual in this role will participate in relevant training programmes, as needed, to enhance clinical skills related to ankyloglossia (tongue tie), enabling effective management and operation of the tongue tie clinic.

About us

There has never been a more exciting time to join West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust! Major redevelopment works are planned as part of the New Hospital Programme. These will be most dramatic at Watford General Hospital where up to 90% of buildings will be new.

The trust has recently gained 'teaching hospital' status which reflects the dedicated work of many teams and individuals who have set the standard for delivering high quality training, learning and education at all levels of the workforce.

We are a flexible working employer

At West Herts we recognise the importance of a good work life balance and the ability to work flexibly. We are delighted to offer a variety of flexible working options for all staff. Please check out our web page for more information.

https://www.westhertshospitals.nhs.uk/flexibleworking/

We encourage and welcome people with disabilities. If you need help, please ask.

We reserve the right to close this advert early due to the volume of applicants. Please apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

If you do not hear back within 3 weeks of your application, please assume you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Ensure that all families receive support and information to allow them to make an informed choice regarding feeding.

Engage with colleagues and support them to enhance clinical judgement with infant feeding assessments of service users and babies needs and evaluate clinical care as appropriate.

Act as a role model and demonstrate evidence-based care in relation to infant feeding and relationship building

Review cases of infant feeding readmissions (maternal/newborn), completing incident reports with feedback to staff with both positive and identified learning development needs.

Review trends of readmissions reports to support strategies to reduce likelihood of occurrence and present findings at relevant meeting in the absence of the infant feeding lead.

Be familiar with multi-disciplinary guidelines and policies relating to infant feeding and supporting staff to evolve if there are any changes in practice.

Undertake audits, using appropriate tools to evaluate and develop infant feeding practices with maternity services both BFI and internal.

Participate in group sessions for families both in pregnancy and the postnatal period where needed in person or virtually.

Develop resources on infant feeding and relationship building.

Foster harmonious relationships, liaising with colleagues and other agencies.

Deliver one to one support, guidance and care planning in feeding clinics for complex cases in the antenatal period.

Provide a responsive service for feeding clinics postnatally and manage accordingly

Delegate to other members of the team to continue ongoing support

Be an autonomous practitioner providing clinical leadership and direct clinical care to families who have significant infant feeding challenges or requirements.

Confident in making assessments of the clinical wellbeing of babies and making effective care plans as part of the multidisciplinary team.

Work collaboratively with the infant feeding team which includes transitional care to support continuity of care of complex cases from the antenatal to the postnatal period

Support the discharge planning of women and referral process for providing specialist breastfeeding support for complexities.

Actively participate in the management, assessment and diagnosis of suspected restricted frenulum

Provide clinic expertise within the in-house tongue tie service.

You may be required to support the unit clinically in times of escalation

Person Specification

Education and Experience

Essential

  • Registered Midwife with UK NMC Pin
  • Evidence of ongoing professional development and training Mentorship/ SSSA
  • Willingness to undergo training relevant to the role


Desirable

  • Advanced clinical skills in tongue tie (Ankyloglossia)
  • IBCLC - International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.
  • Baby friendly advocacy training NIPE qualification


Knowledge

Essential

  • Knowledge of the baby friendly initiative
  • Significant knowledge and skills relating to infant feeding practices and evidence of supporting service users.
  • Understanding of local, national and international strategies relevant to breastfeeding
  • Eble to demonstrate awareness of research related to midwifery practice


Desirable

  • Experience of clinical audit


Experience

Essential

  • Experience supporting junior staff within the clinical area
  • Evidence of supporting infant feeding within the clinical areas/ community
  • Experience working in all areas of maternity


Desirable

  • Experience in an infant feeding role
  • Experience teaching parent education training Evidence of classroom teaching


Skills

Essential

  • Organisational and time management skills are essential
  • Able to manage and resolve conflict
  • Excellent communication skills Able to work in a team and independently
  • Able to delegate workload
  • Flexible approach to working pattern


personal qualities

Essential

  • Positive role model


Employer details

Employer name

West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Address

Watford General Hospital

Watford General Hospital

Watford

WD18 0HB

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

360-D-5399-RA1

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