Postnatal Ward Manager, Maternity

Job responsibilities

We are looking for a confident and motivated Band 7 leader who is passionate about postnatal care, teamwork, and driving service improvements. This is a fantastic opportunity to develop your leadership skills while making a real difference to families across Worcestershire.

You will take on ward management duties, clinical leadership, and unit coordinator responsibilities as part of a team rota, and will be fully supported and developed within a dynamic, supportive maternity team.

Job Purpose:

To ensure a high standard of midwifery care at all times through the effective management of staff and resources on the postnatal ward and transitional care unit. .

To demonstrate strong clinical leadership in stressful and challenging situations.

To promote a positive approach to new challenges and creative ways of working.

To act as advocate for their designated area and liaise with all members of the multi-disciplinary team to co-ordinate all aspects of postnatal care in the best interests of the patient and family.

To ensure effective training and educational programmes are available by liaising with appropriate personnel to meet the training and educational needs of nurses in the clinical area. This post carries continuing responsibility for the management of the Ward, including the deployment and supervision of staff.

Accept personal responsibility and accountability for your infection prevention and control practice. Ensure that you are familiar with, and comply with, all relevant policies. Ensure that you receive mandatory updates in infection control.

Key Responsibilities:

Professional / Clinical Leadership:

Accept personal responsibility and accountability for your infection prevention and control practice. Ensure that you are familiar with, and comply with, all relevant policies. Ensure that you receive mandatory updates in infection control.

Develop practice in the assessment of health and wellbeing needs.

Develop practice in addressing individuals health and wellbeing needs.

Promote peoples equality, diversity and rights.

To assess, develop, implement and evaluate programmes of care, co-ordinating the holistic needs of women, babies and their families.

To be responsible for the organisation of midwifery care on the postnatal ward and Transitional Care Unit.

To take measures to ensure the safety of women and their babies, which includes delegation of care to midwives with the appropriate levels of skills at all times.

To report any untoward incidents / accidents to Matron / Directorate Manager.

Establish and maintain communication with individuals and groups about difficult or complex matters, overcoming any problems in communication.

Lead work teams in the development of knowledge, ideas and work practice.

Clinical Governance:

Promote best practice in health, safety and security.

Contribute to quality improvement.

To ensure clinical incident reporting takes place and facilitate changes to reduce risk.

Support the Matron to investigate complaints and make changes in practice to address any themes identified.

Support the Matron to prepare risk management reports e.g rapid reviews.

Complete monthly Quadrant slides reports to present at monthly senior midwives meetings identifying any actions taken to address non-compliance.

To facilitate research based practice within their Ward and ensure appropriate implementation.

To ensure that midwifery procedures are implemented and maintained in accordance with the Policies of the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust.

To ensure good standards of practice in the Ward through effective quality assurance measures such as clinical audit programmes.

To ensure all staff are conversant and comply with Trust Policies and regulations, and complete mandatory and role specific training as outlined in the training needs analysis.

To monitor the safe and effective use of all equipment and the economic use of supplies, ordering replacement equipment together with maintenance of that equipment.

Management:

To ensure that a duty rota for the staff within the Ward will provide effective and well-balanced cover to meet with the requirements of a 24 hour service and ensures the presence of a suitably qualified and experienced staff at all times. Taking into account the budgetary constraints.

To liaise with other Ward / Department Managers within the Directorate and other Directorates as necessary, to place workload and skill mix as effectively as possible.

To inform and discuss with Matron / Directorate Manager any problems regarding midwifery management.

Allocate, co-ordinate, monitor and assess the work of teams and individuals

To manage the Ward / Unit allocated budget effectively to remain within financial constraints.

To ensure effective two-way communication with all disciplines so that patients receive optimum care.

Plan, obtain and deploy physical and / or financial resources.

To provide information for and participate in studies to determine workloads, patient dependency and quality assurance.

To maintain accurate records relating to all aspects of Ward management.

To provide cover in the absence of Matron as requested.

Contribute to the development of services.

To be part of the ward manager roster to cover the unit co-ordinator role.

To support the ward offering clinical leadership and expertise when required.

Staff Development:

To ensure all staff reach their full potential by enabling them to develop professional, clinical, managerial and communication skills, which will be identified through the use of PDR.

To plan and participate in the teaching programmes of learners in accordance with their objectives, working closely with the University.

To develop the role of midwifery within their Ward and undertake training and assessment to extend clinical skills as appropriate to the Ward.

To identify areas for development of skills in accordance with the NMC guidelines.

Develop knowledge and practice in an area of work.

Professional:

To maintain a professional attitude at all times, developing the role of the midwife in the best interest of the public and professional in accordance with the NMC Code.

To promote a positive attitude for the profession and the Trust within which you are working.

To be aware of personal and professional development.

To attend courses and conferences as appropriate to the service and individual development.

To be conversant and comply with Trust Policies and regulations, and attend compulsory lectures as instructed.

Participate in research projects where appropriate, reporting findings within a multi-disciplinary framework.

Implement research where appropriate.

Personnel:

To participate in the selection, interviewing and induction of new members of staff. To be involved in manpower requirements in line with identified service developments.

To monitor staff performance and organise staff appraisals.

To be responsible for the maintenance of day to day discipline within the Ward and to initiate, when necessary, the disciplinary procedure.

To counsel staff in relation to professional and personal matters.

To make Matron / Directorate Manager aware of all hazards / unsafe practices and ensure all accidents / untoward incidents are reported in accordance with the laid down procedures.

Experience

Essential

• * Evidence of a minimum of 5 years CPD and 5 years as a Band 6 midwife.
• * Good working knowledge of postnatal and TCU midwifery clinical competencies.
• * Credible clinical expert.

Desirable

• * Teaching Expertise
• * Evidence of implementing change in the workplace.
• * Complaints handling

Knowledge and Skills

Essential

• * Proven leadership skills
• * Evidence of being up-to-date with current issues relating to professional practice.
• * Understanding of the clinical governance agenda.
• * Experience and knowledge within the specialty or related field.
• * Knowledge of key national policy drivers.
• * Knowledge of Maternity Safety Agenda.
• * Can demonstrate practical application of quality standards within the clinical setting e.g. better births, Long Term Plan, Care Quality Commission, NICE guidance.
• * Knowledge of budgetary and resource management.
• * Be able to deal with complex facts and situations requiring analysis, interpretation and comparison of a range of options.
• * Provide highly specialised advice to both junior midwives and obstetric colleagues.
• * Knowledge of child protection, domestic violence, substance
• misuse and working with women with special needs
• * Knowledge and ability to recognise abnormalities occurring at any time and refer appropriately to senior medical staff.
• * Ability to coordinate the maternity unit as bleep holder during working hours; escalating any concerns to the Matron.
• * Has awareness of the requirements for revalidation, midwifery legislation and midwifery educational training programs.
• * Evidence of research-based practice.
• * Able to promote equality, diversity and human rights.
• * Fully aware of principles of infection prevention & control.
• * Fully aware of health and safety issues.
• * Aware of current safeguarding policy

Qualifications

Essential

• * Registered Midwife on NMC professional register.
• * Degree in Health-related subject or working towards.
• * Evidence of significant Continuing Professional Development.
• * Evidence of management experience / training.
• * NMC recognised Teaching / Assessing qualification.

Desirable

• * Masters Degree

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).