What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director of Midwifery position at County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust?

Job summary

County Durham andDarlington NHS Foundation Trust is one of the largest integrated care providersin England, with 7000 staff serving a population of around 650,000 peoplethrough two acute sites, one centre for planned care and five communityhospitals plus multiple community based settings and patient homes. We have been given an overall rating ofGood, following the Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspection which took placein December 2019 and have been actively pursuing Outstanding. The Goodplaces us in the top 30% of acute trusts in the country.

Working closely with theChief Executive and the Board, you will provide leadership and accountabilityfor the overall quality outcomes and patient experience for women and theirfamilies. Within this role, you will lead and advocate for safe, high qualitymaternity care, leading the strategic and operational delivery of localservices. This role will include the development and delivery of clinical andprofessional standards and the development of leadership capacity withinnursing and midwifery.

The Director of Midwifery will act as the Trust expert on midwifery and maternity matters both internally and externally across our multi-site organisation. You will lead on the delivery of national maternity requirements / plans ensuring that the vision, values and strategic themes of the Trust are integrated and that delivery is focused on improving outcomes and experience for women using our services.

Main duties of the job

We are an ambitious andinnovative Trust as you will see when you join us with current activityincluding the implementation of our electronic patient record system and theimprovement opportunities that this provides services, the responsive planningprocess contributing significantly to the effective management of ongoing servicedelivery models to meet the changing needs of our patients and the support ofintegrated working as part of one of the largest ICS regions in the country.

To meet the needs of thisrole you will be a senior leader with a proven record of leading teams todeliver high quality patient care. This roledemands exceptional leadership qualities, the ability to build crediblerelationships at all system levels and the tenacity to ensure we deliver highquality patient care through efficient and effective operational services andstrategic planning.

Most important,will be your ability to demonstrate passion, drive and curiosity, as well as atrack record of delivery in a role of this breadth; that your leadership styleis compatible with our values led approach.

If you want to learnmore about this exciting opportunity please contact Lee Mack, AssociateDirector of Operations (Family Health) and / or Kathryn Burn, Executive Directorof Nursing, Midwifery, AHPs and Quality for a confidential discussion (to arrangea suitable time please contact Joanne Grimble, Personal Assistant, on 01325 743620). Visit to find out more about Team CDDFT

About us

If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager

You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks

We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented

From April 1 2024 we are unable to offer sponsorship for healthcare roles that do not meet the minimum salary, If you are in the UK on a VISA please ensure you have no restrictions that would prevent you from taking this post.

Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents

Job description

Job responsibilities

Selection day : Wednesday5 February 2025

The Director of Midwiferywill act as the Trust expert on midwifery and maternity issues both internallyand externally. The role is a key senior leadership position, ensuringexcellent quality outcomes and experience for women, birthing people and theirfamilies when using Trust Maternity Services.

The Director of Midwiferywill :

Be a senior member of the Executive Director of Nursing, Midwifery, AHPs andQualitys leadershipteam, operating with a significant degree of autonomy and being the recognisedprofessional lead for midwifery with the Trust.

Report directly to the Board on midwifery andmaternity matters

Have the support of an Executive and Non-ExecutiveBoard Level Maternity Safety Champion

Set the vision and strategy for midwifery within theTrust and, with the Clinical Director, develop the strategy for maternityservices, ensuring that the vision and strategy are aligned to the Trustsmission, vision and values and focus on improving outcomes and experience forwomen.

Lead on setting and maintaining a compassionate andinclusive culture in midwifery and, with the Clinical Director, across the maternityservices. This should be an open and respectful culture where teams areconfident and skilled in providing regular, constructive feedback, where issuescan be raised and solved openly, leading to improvements for women, theirfamilies and for staff.

Provide expert professional advice to the Executive,Board and partner organisations on midwifery and maternity matters, maintainingan up to date understanding of national policy and best practice.

Set professional standards, and agree and direct thedelivery of safety and quality objectives to continuously improve midwifery andmaternity services (the latter with the Clinical Director).

Act as an advocate for the needs of women and birthingpeople and for continuous improvement in their experience and outcomes.

Work with the support of the Care Group Director,Associate Director of Operations (Family Health), and with the ClinicalDirector, Heads of Midwifery and the General Manager to ensure the Servicemeets all external requirements relating to Maternity Services in relation tonational plans, MSSP, CQC, CNST and HSIB etc.

Actively establish and build a wide range of effectivenetworks, contacts and partnerships within and external to the Trust which areused to inform and influence improvements in service delivery and outcomes.

Work as an integral member of a leadershipquadrumvirate for the Family Health Care Group, which brings togethermaternity, neonatal obstetrics, gynaecology, and paediatric services, to ensurethat : there is seamless and effective integration between relevant services;overall care group objectives are achieved, and the service is fully connectedinto the Trusts overall governance and management model.

Develop constructive and effective workingrelationships with the Executive, the Board and within the quadrumvirate as anenabler for the success of the midwifery teams and maternity services.

Be responsible for ensuring that ProfessionalMidwifery Advocacy is in place for all midwives, working collaboratively withthe corporate nursing directorate PMA / PNA lead to ensure that the Trust has arobust model in place.

Work with all stakeholders, including Deputy and AssociateDirectors of Nursing, to ensure optimum standards of care and shared learningacross all areas.

This post holder is a senior member ofthe Family Health Care Group but will work closely with the Nursing and QualityDirectorate and have a direct link to the Executive Team and Trust Board.

The Family Health Care Group includesthe Directorate of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and the Directorates ofPaediatrics, Neonates and Childrens Therapies.

There are approximately 4,300 birthsper annum across County Durham and Darlington hospital sites.

The Obstetric Unit at the UniversityHospital of North Durham has :

13 deliveryrooms

13 bed Ante / PostnatalWard

RecoveryArea

Onededicated obstetric theatre

PlannedC / S lists in main theatre three times per week

Onebirthing pool

PregnancyAssessment Unit 9 bedded area with a scan room

AntenatalClinic 4 rooms

Bereavementsuite

The Obstetric Unit at DarlingtonMemorial Hospital has :

10 DeliveryRooms

23 BedAntenatal / Postnatal Ward

Onededicated Obstetric Theatre

Recoveryarea 2 beds

PlannedC / S lists in main theatre twice a week

Onebirthing pool

PregnancyAssessment Unit 1 scan room, 1 triage room, 3 assessment rooms

Antenatalclinic 5 rooms

Plans inplace to develop a bereavement suite

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

Registered Midwife with current NMC registration
Significant post registration experience, as Head of Midwifery or equivalent
Educated to Masters level supplemented by further specialist training
Evidence of relevant and recent Continuous Professional development
Leadership qualification

Desirable

Registered Nurse

Experience

Essential

In-depth professional knowledge and experience of Midwifery across acute, community services and midwife led services.

Clear understanding of the concept and working arrangements of diverse clinical areas

High level knowledge of all current issues related to professional Midwifery practice

Has a good understanding of quality improvement and research and can demonstrate how this has influenced their practice

Experience of implementing safeguarding requirements

Demonstrable experience delivering positive service improvement at a senior level

Experience of leading and successfully implementing service improvement / redesign programmes in a multi-disciplinary environment / across a range of services

Experience of effective co-production with women and their families

Proven ability to work across organisational boundaries, develop networks and alliances, project a vision and obtain ownership and commitment from stakeholders

Experience of managing conduct / professional issues

Skills

Essential

Advanced keyboard skills, with familiarity with the Microsoft Office suite and BadgerNet

Ability to travel independently across Trust sites, regionally and nationally as required

Skills & Knowledge

Essential

Highly developed analytical and problem-solving skills; capable of interpreting and evaluating complex, multi-faceted information; ability to summarise complex information; ability to make judgements and advise on the best course of action

Ability to present highly complex / controversial information to a wide range of audiences, with differing levels of understanding, in a suitable format and with appropriate explanation

Ability to influence, persuade and motivate others

Ability to collaborate constructively with all key stakeholders (internal and external) and to create the conditions for successful partnership working

Ability to provide a clear vision for change which is a source of inspiration and motivation for others

Skilled in all aspects of managing change, including supporting staff and including patients ability to monitor and act to improve and deliver performance and establish high levels of quality and to hold others to account for delivery

Highly skilled in identifying opportunities for partnership working, managing on going stakeholder relationships and proving support to others in this area

Highly-developed leadership and influencing skills with the ability to enthuse, motivate and involve individuals and teams across the Trust

Be able to articulate the evolving strategy and vision for the future of Midwifery and be able to demonstrate the opportunities this will provide

Ability to analyse complex clinical issues / problems, identify necessary action and make recommendations and follow these through

Ability to demonstrate emotional leadership skills and apply to appropriate situations

High level of work organisation, self- motivation, drive for performance and improvement and flexibility in approach

Highly developed communication skills to resolve complex, high

impact situations in highly complex environments

Highly developed written communication and report writing skills

A strong commitment to openness, honesty and integrity

Demonstrate the ability to work under pressure whilst supporting and getting the most out of staff

Confident of management ability and ability to be credible and confident in dealing with both clinicians and senior management staff

Able to lead by example, and role model Trust behaviours and values

Knowledge of wider NHS Agenda and current issues

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