Specialist Perinatal/Maternal Mental Health Midwife

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity for a new or experienced Specialist Perinatal/Maternal Mental health Midwife to contribute towards the development of a new Maternal Mental Health Service (MMHS).

In this role, you will be providing support to women/birthing people who have experienced significant mental health difficulties as a consequence of perinatal loss, separation and/or trauma relating to their reproductive journey.

Prevention is key to providing trauma-informed care across services in Cornwall and this role will also involve the development and delivery of training, along with working with agencies to develop and improve pathways, as well as supporting community engagement. Collaborative working and contributing to the ongoing development and evaluation of the service according to national recommendations is key.

We are looking for a dynamic midwife who can explore ideas and be creative in providing trauma-informed care in a family-centered environment. The midwife will also work with 'experts by experience' to improve service delivery and outcomes for women/birthing people and their families.

This post will enhance the care provided to women and birthing people who have suffered perinatal loss and trauma. Building good relationships is crucial for this role along with the ability to provide excellent midwifery advice and education. You will be supported and supervised by maternity and mental health professionals.

Main duties of the job

• To provide midwifery expertise to inform the service improvement of trauma-informed maternity care that is responsive to the needs of women and people and the staff who provide care.
• To act as point of specialist knowledge and support for community and acute midwives working with women who are a part of the MMH cohort.
• Provide a supportive, accessible, and compassionate presence, modelling trauma informed practice and sharing elements of psychologically informed formulations within multidisciplinary and midwifery teams.
• To work collaboratively with women/birthing people and their wider care team in formulating plans for the birth and postnatal care.
• To attend a weekly MMHS meeting and maternity WREN/SPNMH MDT meeting as appropriate. The specialist MMHM will be part of the maternity multi-disciplinary team and offer support in providing expert knowledge supporting both staff and women who have mental health difficulties and co-ordinating care planning.
• Carry a small caseload of MMHS women and birthing people and deliver some aspects of psychologically informed interventions as appropriate, guided by the individual's psychological formulation and under the supervision of a qualified psychologist.
• To provide seamless care between the maternity service and other services involved in mental health care for women, including the local primary care therapy service (IAPT), SPNMHT and others as appropriate

About us

We're an NHS community and mental health provider Trust based in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. We deliver community and hospital-based care to improve people's physical and mental health. We also provide specialist support to people with dementia or a learning disability.

We are a people organisation and people matter to us. As part of the team, you'll help support the health and wellbeing of the people who live and visit this beautiful part of the UK.

Over 4,000 people make up the Trust. This includes doctors, nurses, therapists, plus admin and support staff.

We work in people's homes, in community clinics and bases. Some staff work from one of our 13 community hospitals. Our aspiration is to have great people, provide great care, be a great place to work and a great partner.

Approximately 568,000 people live here. A third of people who live in Cornwall are supported by acute hospital services in Devon. As a result, we also work closely with our partners in Devon. In the summer, and during other holidays lots of people choose to visit the area. This increases the numbers of people who use our services.