Associate Specialist Bereavement Midwife - 15 hpw

You will be involved in the provision of care for women and families who have experienced any type of pregnancy loss including miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death, sudden infant death or a termination of pregnancy. This will include supporting the women emotionally and ensuring their needs are met by having comprehensive and compassionate discussion relating to bereavement issues and hospital practices. This will consist of working with external agencies and support groups.

They will be responsible for providing support to staff in clinical areas and be available to ensure high quality bereavement care is provided. They will act as advocates for the women and as bereavement champions across different setting of the maternity and gynaecology service.

They will be responsible for keeping up to date with contemporary evidence based practice and guidance, Human Tissue Authority assurances (HTA) and ensure this is cascaded to the wider multidisciplinary team including gynaecology, maternity and the neonatal service.

The post holder will also be involved in completing bereavement care audits to continuously monitor the service being provided and to help implement actions derived from this. As part of this they will be responsible for collating data and ensuring this is reported to MBRRACE:UK (Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK)

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You will join our existing Associate Specialist midwives. The minimum hours expected for this post is 15 hours per week with the remainder of your clinical hours working in your chosen area of practice to continue championing bereavement care. We welcome retired and returning midwives, external and internal candidates to maximise the potential and perspective for the service.

You will be involved in all aspects of bereavement care from the diagnosis of a loss , supporting midwives delivering intrapartum care and following the birth into the community setting. You will be responsible for the day to day bereavement service supporting the band 7 lead with the strategic elements of their role which includes involvement in shaping the service of the now and future

As a teaching hospital, the Foundation Trust is at the forefront of research and development in healthcare. This promotes a culture of learning and professional development that ensures that all doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals practice the highest clinical standards.

Essential: - Experience of working as a registered midwife; - Experience of caring for bereaved families; - Experience of having difficult conversations and sharing bad news

Desirable: - Experience of providing education and training; - Experience of assurance processes, audits and people management

Essential: - Basic IT skills; - Effective communication skills especially when having sensitive discussions with families and colleagues; - Ability to work effectively as part of a team; - Excellent interpersonal and listening skills; - Ability to plan, organise and manage work load effectively; - Flexibility and adaptability in approach and attitude

Desirable: - Ability to display information clearly using digital methods; - Evidence of influencing and change management skills

Essential: - Understanding of Information Governance and Confidentiality; - Understanding and awareness of the National Bereavement Care Pathway and the Ockenden Reports and what they recommend for gold standard bereavement care.; - Understanding key issues and drivers within the National maternity agenda in relation to reducing stillbirth rates.; - Understanding the role of national audit tools used in the reporting of pregnancy losses and risk management.; - Understanding of the risk and governance agenda within local maternity including learning from incidents and the management of tissue samples.

Essential: - Registered Midwife with an active NMC registration; - Teaching qualification as defined by the NMC e.g SLIP course

Desirable: - Recognised bereavement care training and qualifications; - Recognised leadership qualification or relevant experience; - Evidence of continuous professional development and application of knowledge to practice especially in relation to bereavement care

Essential: - Flexible to work in different areas within the trust to support staff and patients; - Motivation and commitment to provide a high standard of care