Specialist Maternity Support Worker - Infant Feeding

Job summary

UHDB maternity infant feeding team has a vacancy for a Band 3 specialist Maternity Support Worker to work across all sites at UHDB.

The successful candidate will be actively involved in promoting and supporting breastfeeding and ensuring the safe, appropriate use of formula milk preparations. The role is pivotal in supporting UHDB to continue to embed its UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Accreditation. The effective implementation of UNICEF UK Baby Friendly standards is shown to improve experiences for mothers and their families. Youwill work with families in the antenatal and postnatal period, supporting them to make informed decisions about infant feeding. This will include giving professional advice on breastfeeding and lactation to parents and staff to ensure consistent advice and information is given. You will also be expected to support the Specialist Midwives responsible for infant feeding to develop initiatives towards embedding UNICEF UK BFI standards. Initiatives include health promotion advice, assisting with the preparation of teaching materials, resources and environments, facilitating infant feeding classes and undertaking audits. Safeguarding compliance with the International Code of the Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes will be compulsory.

Main duties of the job

The post will require an ability to work flexibly, meeting competing demands, to be adaptable, and reliable. Clinical support of breastfeeding is fundamental to the role, therefore previous experience in advising pregnant women and supporting new mothers to breastfeed and maintain lactation is essential. The successful applicant must also be driven by a passion to provide women-centred personalized care with a commitment to maintaining the UNICEF Baby Friendly accreditation.

Support new mothers and their families helping them to gain confidence in caring for their babies and reinforcing evidence-based advice on infant feeding by: Delivering a seamless approach to breastfeeding support and coordinating follow-on support and resolution of breastfeeding problems. Assisting with the facilitation and running of Infant Feeding Antenatal Classes. Increasing pregnant women's knowledge and confidence with hand expressing to enable them to obtain colostrum and use if required, reducing the use of formula supplementation and breastfeeding attrition within these groups. Working closely with the midwives and other health professionals to offer evidence based breastfeeding support to new mums in the hospital or postnatal settings

Closing date of applications: 21 October 2024

Interview date: 4 November 2024

About us

As a trusted organisation at the heart of our communities, we recognise the important role we can play in supporting the public, patients, our own people and local partners in achieving the best of health for the local population and the communities in which they live by providing Exceptional Care Together

Our fundamental Values of Compassion, Openness and Excellence underpin how we intend to work as a Trust and the associated behaviours are becoming embedded in all aspects of how we work.

In return we will offer:

• Development opportunities, both professional and leadership development
• On-going support from recruitment to when you join our team and beyond.
• Staff benefits including employee assistance programme, discounted gym membership, onsite fitness classes, car schemes

Key Facts:

• We see on average 4810 OP appointments a day.
• We are the 4th busiest Trauma & Orthopaedic outpatients department in England - an average of 2077 per week.
• An average of 1115 patients are seen in A&Es across our network every day - 3rd largest in the country.
• Our hospitals admit an average of 195 emergency patients daily.
• Last year we undertook almost 33,700 planned surgical operations in our 57 operating theatres.
• We are one of only 7 Trusts nationally with more than 50 operating theatres.
• We carry out more than 140 elective procedures each working day.
• UHDB is a research active University Hospital with a large and varied portfolio of clinical trials and research opportunities for all staff.

Employer details

Employer name

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Royal Derby Hospital

Uttoxeter Road

Derby

DE22 3NE

Employer's website

https://www.uhdb.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

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Employer details

Employer name

University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Royal Derby Hospital

Uttoxeter Road

Derby

DE22 3NE

Employer's website

https://www.uhdb.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)

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