Midwife

About the role

We are looking for Band 5 and 6 Midwives to join our friendly and highly skilled workforce. We welcome applications from newly qualified and experienced midwives with a passion for delivering high-quality care. For all successful candidates, we provide a comprehensive support and training package, including orientations in all clinical areas and a preceptorship programme for newly qualified midwives, aligned to the National Preceptorship Framework standards (NHSE, 2023).

Newcastle Hospitals Maternity Services provide high-quality care to a diverse demographic of service users within the city and across the region. Situated within The Royal Victoria Infirmary, our maternity department is a centre of excellence offering a comprehensive range of services in acute, inpatient, outpatient, and community settings, facilitating 5,000 births per year. Our midwives gain diverse professional experiences, providing individualised care ranging from low-risk to highly complex cases throughout the childbirth continuum.

Our antenatal services include obstetric shared-care clinics, a Maternity Assessment Unit, a Day Care Unit, and an antenatal ward. In the intrapartum period, midwives provide one-to-one care in our integrated midwifery-led unit and shared-care obstetric unit. The RVI maternity unit features a 12-room integrated midwife-led birthing centre with five pool rooms, as well as a 14-room delivery suite with two obstetric theatres. Our postnatal services include a 34-bed postnatal ward and an 8-bed transitional care ward. Four community-based midwifery teams provide traditional community care, antenatal clinics, and parent education in partnership with allied health services.

Responsibilities

• Fulfil the role of midwife as defined by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), maintaining high standards of midwifery practice and adhering to the NMC Code of Practice.
• Demonstrate and promote excellence in midwifery practice, assisting in maintaining and improving the standards of midwifery care within the Trust.
• Plan, implement, and evaluate personalised, holistic care throughout the childbirth continuum in community, acute, and inpatient settings.
• Work autonomously and within the multi-disciplinary team, adhering to NMC, Trust, and Directorate policies and guidelines to provide specialist expertise to women and birthing people in the antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal periods.
• Deliver high-quality, evidence-based care and act as an advocate for women and birthing people and protector of the child within the hospital/community setting.
• Effectively prioritise clinical caseload to meet client needs.
• Uphold knowledge and awareness of national and local reports and policies impacting maternity services.
• Enhance clinical skills and knowledge in all aspects of midwifery, owning professional and personal development.
• Be flexible to change and develop practice in light of knowledge gained through reflection, research, and audit.

Band 5

• Develop, in conjunction with women, a programme of individualised, holistic care, taking cognisance of social, physical, psychological, and cultural needs.
• Work autonomously within NMC, Trust, and Directorate policies and guidelines to provide specialist expertise in the antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal periods.
• Act as the lead professional for low-risk women.

Band 6 - Rotational/Community

• Develop, in conjunction with women, a programme of individualised, holistic, and personalised care, taking cognisance of social, physical, psychological, and cultural needs.
• Work autonomously within NMC, Trust, and Directorate policies and guidelines to provide specialist expertise in the antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal periods.
• Provide support and advice to all members of staff and colleagues within the multi-professional team.

Requirements

Band 5 Essential Criteria

• Registered Midwife.
• Evidence of ongoing professional and personal development.
• Recent clinical experience relevant to the role.
• Competent to ensure the delivery of evidence-based practice.
• Demonstrates a broad knowledge of current midwifery issues.
• Ability to work within acute and healthcare settings.
• Understanding of the legal framework around Safeguarding Children.
• Able to prioritise workload.
• Able to exercise professional accountability.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Excellent time management skills.
• Basic IT skills.
• Embraces the concept of multidisciplinary working.
• Positive approach to change.
• Acts as a role model for junior staff.
• Enthusiastic, articulate, and a team player.
• Able to work flexible hours to meet service needs.
• Committed to women’s centred care.
• Keen to work in all areas of the maternity unit.

Band 5 Desirable Criteria

• Ongoing professional and personal development to diploma/degree level.
• Ability to meet the travel requirements of the role.
• A working knowledge of clinical governance.
• An understanding of public health issues.
• An awareness of training requirements for Student Midwives.
• Experience of managing a ward during a shift.
• Awareness of national policies relating to maternity services.
• Aware of evidence-based practice.

Band 6 Essential Criteria

• Registered Midwife.
• Completion of Preceptorship Programme or equivalent experience.
• Meets NMC requirements for practice supervisor/assessor.
• Experience as a Midwife leading to autonomous practice.
• Competent to ensure the delivery of evidence-based practice.
• Demonstrates a broad knowledge of current midwifery issues.
• Ability to work within acute and primary healthcare settings.
• Understanding of the legal framework around Safeguarding Children.
• A working knowledge of clinical governance.
• Enthusiastic, articulate, and a team player.
• Able to work flexible hours to meet service needs.
• Committed to women’s centred care.
• Keen to work in all areas of maternity services.
• Able to prioritise own workload and maintain an awareness of the workload of others.
• Able to exercise professional accountability.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Excellent time management skills.
• Basic IT skills.
• Embraces the concept of multidisciplinary working.
• Positive approach to change.
• Act as a role model.
• Ability to meet the travel requirements of the role.

Band 6 Desirable Criteria

• Evidence of ongoing professional and personal development to diploma/degree level.
• An understanding of public health issues.
• An awareness of training requirements for Student Midwives.
• Experience of managing a ward during a shift.
• Awareness of national policies relating to maternity services.
• Aware of evidence-based practice.

Benefits

As a flexible working-friendly organisation, we accommodate flexible working arrangements where possible. Please see attached information on staff benefits offered at our Trust under ‘Documents to download’ or ‘Supporting documents’.

About the employer

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the busiest and largest NHS hospital trusts in the country, with around 16,000 staff and an annual budget of £1.7 billion. We deliver care from multiple sites, including:

• Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI)
• Freeman Hospital
• Newcastle Dental Hospital
• Cramlington Manor Walks
• Urgent treatment centres
• Newcastle Fertility Centre
• Northern Centre for Cancer Care, North Cumbria
• Northern Genetics Service
• Offices at Regent Point in Gosforth and various community sites

We are committed to promoting equality and diversity, recognising the benefits of an inclusive environment. We value and respect the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. Newcastle Hospitals is a leader in sustainability, with a long history of delivering Sustainable Healthcare in Newcastle (Shine) and a commitment to being Net Zero by 2030 for our direct carbon footprint, and Net Zero by 2040 for our broader footprint.